---
title: "Understanding the Readability Score"
description: "In the article editor you'll see a readability score. This is a measure of how complex your article is to understand. 1 is super easy to understand, whereas 14 is very difficult."
url: "https://support.helpdocs.io/article/UX4uKcYAvw-what-is-readability"
category: "Managing Content"
updated_at: "2026-09-11T13:55:02Z"
---

# Understanding the Readability Score

Head to any article in the editor and you'll see a **Readability Score** in the sidebar. This is a measure of how complex your article is to understand.

We use the [Automated Readability Index](http://www.readabilityformulas.com/automated-readability-index.php) to calculate these scores. Each article gets a score from 1 to 14. The score corresponds to an age group and grade level. Check out the table below for a full list.

You can hover over the readability score when you're editing an article. It'll show you the reading age and school grade in your editor.

![Readability tooltip displaying a score of 7, sixth grade level, alongside word count and version controls.](https://files.helpdocs.io/Ytt2uahFxY/articles/UX4uKcYAvw/1789134524447/screenshot-2026-09-11-at-14-48-31.png)

Lower scores are easier to read. Depending on how technical your audience is, a good readability score to aim for would be 10, but general audiences may want to aim lower.

The easier your articles are to read the more useful they'll be. And when your customers can find what they need quickly, everyone wins 🎉 Want help improving your scores? Check out [Understanding Improve with AI](/article/1hxswwbqcx-generate-improvement-suggestions) for automated suggestions, or read [Writing Clear and Digestible Knowledge Base Articles](/article/vqxizjeygc-writing-clear-and-digestible-articles) for general tips.

### Readability Score Reference Table

| Score | Age   | Grade Level    |
|-------|-------|----------------|
| 1     | 5-6   | Kindergarten   |
| 2     | 6-7   | First Grade    |
| 3     | 7-8   | Second Grade   |
| 4     | 8-9   | Third Grade    |
| 5     | 9-10  | Fourth Grade   |
| 6     | 10-11 | Fifth Grade    |
| 7     | 11-12 | Sixth Grade    |
| 8     | 12-13 | Seventh Grade  |
| 9     | 13-14 | Eighth Grade   |
| 10    | 14-15 | Ninth Grade    |
| 11    | 15-16 | Tenth Grade    |
| 12    | 16-17 | Eleventh Grade |
| 13    | 17-18 | Twelfth Grade  |
| 14    | 18-22 | College        |