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IELTS readability analyser: sentence length, word length and word variety
See how long your sentences are, how much they vary, how long your words are and how many different words you used. Every figure comes with a plain explanation, and none of them is a band.
Analyse the shape of your text
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Your results will appear here. Paste at least 40 words.
What each figure means
| Figure | How it is counted | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence length | Words between full stops, question marks and exclamation marks | A string of very short or very long sentences can be tiring to read; most good writing mixes them. |
| Sentence spread | How far sentence lengths vary from the average | A small spread means similar-length sentences throughout. |
| Word length | Letters per word; share of words with 8 or more letters | Longer words are often more formal, but a text full of long words can sound heavy. Meaning matters more than length. |
| Different words | Distinct words ignoring capital letters (go and goes count separately) | Repeating a word is not wrong, but a long list of repeats may mean a missed chance to vary. |
| Guiraud index | Different words ÷ square root of all words | Less affected by text length than a plain percentage, so useful for comparing drafts. |
Using the analyser to revise
- Find your longest sentence and read it aloud. If you run out of breath, split it or cut a detail.
- Check repeated sentence starts. Three sentences beginning with the same word are a sign to join or rephrase.
- Compare drafts, not essays by different people. Run the same text before and after revising and see what changed.
- Then read for meaning. The figures cannot tell you whether the argument is clear. Check that with the linking words checker and a careful read.
Questions about readability figures
Does this tell me my band?
No. These figures describe the shape of a text. IELTS examiners judge whether the answer completes the task, is well organised, uses suitable vocabulary and grammar, and is accurate, none of which a count can measure.
What is a good average sentence length?
There is no official target. Many clear academic texts average between about 15 and 25 words a sentence, but a mix of short and long sentences matters more than the average. Use the figure to notice a pattern, not to hit a number.
Why do you not show a Flesch reading-ease score?
Those formulas depend on counting syllables, which a simple script gets wrong often enough to mislead. We show only figures that can be counted exactly: words, sentences, letters and different words.
Why does the word-variety figure change when my text gets longer?
The longer a text is, the more words repeat, so the share of different words naturally falls. That is why the tool also shows the Guiraud index, which allows for length, and counts the different words in your first 100 words, so two texts of different lengths can be compared fairly.
Related free tools
- Linking words checker Highlights linking words in your text, flags ones used three times or more and suggests alternatives.
- IELTS spelling checker Finds common IELTS misspellings and mixed British and American spelling.
- IELTS band score calculator Overall band from four section bands, with the rounding explained and an approximate CEFR level.
Figures describe the text. The checker reads it
To find out how well an answer meets the four marking criteria, the writing checker gives an estimated band for each and shows what to fix first. Your first check needs no account.
Counting rules are stated on this page and were written for this tool. The Guiraud index (different words divided by the square root of all words) is a long-established measure of lexical variety. English Test Coach is independent of IELTS. See also the word counter.