Kandel and Moles (French page)
L = 207 − 1.015 × (M ÷ P) − 73.6 × (S ÷ M)
Result rounded and bounded between 0 and 100.
Readability analyzer
Count words, sentences and estimated syllables, then get a Flesch reading ease score from 0 to 100 to see whether a text is easy to read. Runs in your browser.
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How does this tool work?
Estimate how easy a text is to read from the length of its sentences and words. On this English page, the analyzer applies the original Flesch reading ease formula and reports a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate easier text according to the formula. Use it when revising a help page, instructions or a public-facing message. The calculation runs in your browser without sending your text to a server.
The analyzer splits the text into words and detects sentence boundaries at a full stop, exclamation mark, question mark or ellipsis followed by whitespace or the end of the text. The full stop in a decimal such as 3.5 does not end a sentence. Syllables are estimated by counting vowel groups, so the result may differ from spoken pronunciation. The special adjustment for a silent final e applies only on the French page.
The score combines average words per sentence and average syllables per word. This page uses the original Flesch formula (1948): 206.835 − 1.015 × (M ÷ P) − 84.6 × (S ÷ M). Longer sentences and words lower the score. The result is rounded and limited to 0–100. Flesch was developed for English: the other language pages use an adaptation calibrated on their own texts, namely Kandel and Moles (1958) in French, Szigriszt-Pazos in Spanish, Amstad in German, Gulpease in Italian and Martins et al. in Portuguese. Do not apply the English score to texts in other languages.
The report includes word, sentence and estimated syllable counts, both averages, the score and its level: very easy (90 or above), easy (80–89), fairly easy (70–79), standard (60–69), fairly difficult (50–59), difficult (30–49) or very difficult (below 30). These are the displayed Flesch thresholds, not a test of comprehension. Diphthongs, foreign words and unusual punctuation can affect the estimates. Compare similar texts and check the revision with actual readers.
How to use this tool
Paste text
Enter or import the text to be evaluated, ideally at least a few complete sentences.
Start the analysis
The tool displays words, sentences, syllables, averages, score and level.
Rewrite then compare
Shorten longer sentences or replace unnecessarily complex words, then run the analysis again.
Flesch reading ease and the French adaptation
This page applies the original Flesch formula; the French page uses the Kandel and Moles adaptation. Both combine average sentence length and estimated syllables per word.
Flesch (applied on this page)
L = 206.835 − 1.015 × (M ÷ P) − 84.6 × (S ÷ M)
Original formula, designed for English.
- L
- readability score, from 0 (very difficult) to 100 (very easy)
- M
- number of words
- P
- number of sentences
- S
- number of syllables (estimated)
Use cases
Simplify a public page
Check that a help page, service sheet or FAQ remains accessible to a non-specialist reader.
Compare two versions
Measure the effect of a rewrite by analyzing the text before and after modification.
Identify a passage that is too dense
Analyze one paragraph at a time to find the one that brings down a document's score.
Examples
Dense administrative sentence
Flesch calculation: 206.835 − 1.015 × 22 − 84.6 × 2.77 ≈ 0. One long sentence and many multi-syllable words lower the score.
Input
Booking municipal facilities requires prior submission of the regulatory application form, accompanied by the supporting documentation requested by the responsible administrative departments.Result
Words: 22
Sentences: 1
Syllables (estimate): 61
Words per sentence: 22.0
Syllables per word: 2.77
Readability score (Flesch): 0 – very difficultSame message rewritten
The rewritten version has 3 sentences and a Flesch score of 78, compared with 0 for the dense version. Compare the wording as well as the number.
Input
Book a room online. Attach the documents we need. We will reply within two days.Result
Words: 15
Sentences: 3
Syllables (estimate): 22
Words per sentence: 5.0
Syllables per word: 1.47
Readability score (Flesch): 78 – fairly easyTips and best practices
- Analyze at least three or four sentences: on a very short text, a single long sentence is enough to change the score.
- The score does not judge the accuracy, spelling or logic of the text: a simple text can remain confusing. Have it proofread by someone from the target audience.
- Do not mechanically split each sentence: aim for one idea per sentence and keep the essential technical terms, explaining them when they first appear.
- Headings, lists and addresses without final punctuation are counted as a single sentence with the text that follows: remove them for a more accurate measurement.
Sources and references
- Flesch Reading Ease Readability Formula (opens in a new tab), Readability FormulasPage in English
- Quantifying French Document Complexity (Kandel and Moles formula, eq. 3.1) (opens in a new tab), arXivPage in English
- Validación de la Escala INFLESZ para evaluar la legibilidad de los textos dirigidos a pacientes (Barrio-Cantalejo et al., 2008) (opens in a new tab), Anales del Sistema Sanitario de NavarraPage in Spanish
- Lesbarkeitsindex (Flesch-Reading-Ease nach Amstad, 1978) (opens in a new tab), WikipediaPage in German
- Indice Gulpease (Lucisano e Piemontese, Scuola e città, 1988) (opens in a new tab), WikipediaPage in Italian
- NILC-Metrix: assessing the complexity of written and spoken language in Brazilian Portuguese (Flesch index adapted by Martins et al., 1996) (opens in a new tab), arXivPage in English
Frequently asked questions
What score should you aim for?
For a general audience text, a score of 60 or more (standard level or easier) is a good benchmark. A legal or technical document often scores less than 30; the challenge is then to make it as clear as possible for its real audience.
Why do other languages use different formulas?
Words in French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese have on average more syllables or letters than English words, so the English formula would score them too low. Each adaptation recalibrates the coefficients on texts in its own language; Kandel and Moles, for instance, reduce the weight of word length from 84.6 to 73.6 for French.
Why is the score stuck at 0 or 100?
The formulas can give a negative result for very dense text, or greater than 100 for a few very short words. The tool limits the result to the usual scale of 0 to 100.
Is the number of syllables correct?
No, it's an automatic estimate based on vowel groups. It is suitable for comparing texts with each other, not for phonetic analysis.
Is my text preserved?
No. The analysis is carried out in your browser and the text is neither sent nor saved.
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