How to Check Readability Score in Microsoft Word (and Why the Online Method Is Faster)

Microsoft Word has a built-in readability checker, but it is buried in settings, only runs after a full spell check, and only shows two scores. Here is how to enable it — plus a faster method that gives you more scores in one click.

Enable Readability Statistics in Word — Step by Step

Windows

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word
2. Click File → Options
3. Click Proofing in the left sidebar
4. Under "When correcting spelling and grammar in Word," check "Show readability statistics"
5. Click OK
6. Now run a spell check: Review tab → Spelling & Grammar (or press F7)
7. Complete the entire spell check — readability statistics appear at the end

Mac

1. Click Word → Preferences
2. Click Spelling & Grammar
3. Check "Show readability statistics"
4. Close preferences
5. Run spell check: Review → Spelling & Grammar (or Cmd+Shift+;)
6. Statistics appear after the check completes

What Word Shows You (and What It Does Not)

Metric	Word Shows?	Online Checker Shows?
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Flesch Reading Ease	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Gunning Fog Index	✗ No	✓ Yes
SMOG Score	✗ No	✓ Yes
Passive Voice %	✓ Yes	✗ No
Average sentence length	✓ Yes (words per sentence)	✓ Yes
Average syllables per word	✗ No	✓ Yes
Works on partial text	✓ Select text first	✓ Paste any selection
Requires app installed	✗ Yes — desktop Word only	✓ No — runs in browser
Works on Word Online	✗ No	✓ Yes — paste text from anywhere

The Faster Method — Online in 3 Seconds

Instead of enabling settings, running a spell check, and waiting for statistics:

1. Select the text you want to check in Word (Ctrl+A for all)
2. Copy it (Ctrl+C)
3. Open the online readability scorer
4. Paste (Ctrl+V) — scores appear instantly

You get Flesch-Kincaid and Gunning Fog and SMOG in one paste. No settings to enable, no spell check to complete, works even if you are on Word Online where readability stats are not available.

Common Word Readability Issues

• "I enabled the setting but stats do not appear" — you must complete the entire spell check. Clicking "Ignore All" repeatedly still works — the stats show when the check finishes
• "Readability option is grayed out" — make sure you have a document open with text. Empty documents cannot be checked
• "The grade level seems wrong" — Word calculates on the entire document. Headers, footers, captions, and bullet fragments can skew the average. For a section-specific score, select just that section before running the check
• "I am on Word Online / Word 365 web" — readability statistics are not available in the browser version of Word. Use our online checker instead

Readability Workflow for Word Users

1. Write your draft in Word as usual
2. Copy all text → paste into readability scorer
3. Check the grade level — targeting 6-8 for most content
4. If too high, simplify in Word using tone rewriter
5. Grammar check simplified text
6. Re-test readability to confirm improvement