Free tools / Raw HTML readability
Raw HTML readability checker: grade the text crawlers read
Our raw HTML readability checker extracts the main text from the HTML your server sends and grades it. You get the word count, how long your sentences run, the heading outline and a Flesch-Kincaid reading grade, with the formula and the syllable rule shown so you can repeat the sum.
We read robots.txt before anything else and follow it, then read your page within eight seconds: up to three redirects, each checked again and each to a public HTTPS address, and at most 1.5 MB. HTTPS websites are supported; other addresses are refused.
No email is needed; runs are limited per network and per day, and by the site's daily allowance.
We do not save your website, company name, page content or result. We keep daily totals and hashed network counters to enforce limits. A shared result stays in its link, not on our server.
What we check and why
Main text
The text of the main element, else of a single article element, else of the page body without its header, navigation, footer, aside and forms. Scripts are not run, so text they add is not counted.
Sentence lengths
We split at a period, question mark or exclamation point followed by a space, and at the end of each paragraph, list item or table cell, then count the words in each sentence. Long sentences are the usual reason a grade runs high.
Heading outline
We list headings in order and flag a missing H1, more than one H1, a skipped level or an empty heading.
Reading grade
Flesch-Kincaid grade = 0.39 x (words / sentences) + 11.8 x (syllables / words) - 15.59. Syllables are vowel groups, with a silent final e and -es or -ed endings removed. Headings and short labels are left out. The result approximates a US school grade.
Questions
What reading grade should a B2B page aim for?
There is no fixed target. Pages that buyers scan, such as pricing and product pages, tend to work better in plain language. Use the grade to compare versions of the same page rather than to hit a number.
Why is my word count lower than the page shows?
We count text in the raw HTML. Text that scripts add after the page loads, and text in the header, navigation, footer, aside and forms, is not main text. The crawler vs browser view shows whether scripts add text.
Why does the grade differ from my writing app?
Tools count syllables and sentences differently. We publish our rules so the number can be repeated; compare grades from one tool rather than across tools.
Want the fix made for you?
Answer Repair completes one agreed source-backed page or fix. Choose Live or Handoff before payment. Due 48 elapsed hours after Ready. Full refund on request within 30 days of delivery.
When you want us to do the work, every offer and its published price is on our offers page. More free checks: the ChatGPT Business Hub readiness check, the crawler vs browser view, the page token count and the content scoring tool, or see all free tools. Read next: How should I structure headings for AI crawlers? and How do you write a page an AI engine can quote?