A text simplifier that shows its working
This text simplifier makes official letters, policies, instructions and reports easier to read. Choose a target — US grade 5, grade 8 or plain English — and the page first does the safe, mechanical part without any AI: it swaps known jargon for everyday words (“prior to” → “before”, “obtain” → “get”) and suggests where long sentences can be split. You tick what you want to keep.
Then, if you like, an AI model on your device — your browser’s built-in AI or IBM’s open Granite 4.0 (Apache-2.0) — rewrites the draft for your reading level. Every step is scored with the same six readability formulas used by our Readability Checker, so you can see what each change did, and a fact check flags any name, number or date the AI dropped or added.
How to simplify text
- Paste your text, or open a .txt, .md, .docx or .html file.
- Pick a Target reading level. It sets the sentence-length limit (15 words for grade 5, 20 for grade 8, 25 for plain English) and the goal shown in the score table.
- In Step 1, review the plain-English swaps and the split suggestions for long sentences. Untick anything that changes your meaning; the draft updates as you go.
- Check the Readability before and after table. If the draft meets the target, copy it — you may not need AI at all.
- Otherwise press Simplify with AI. The draft (not your original) is rewritten on your device; read the fact check, then copy the AI version.
Text Simplifier features
No-AI pass first
More than 200 plain-English swaps written for this page, matched as whole words with their capitalisation kept, plus split suggestions at semicolons, “, and”, “, but”, “, so”, “, which”, “because” and “, however”.
You stay in control
Every swap and split has a tick box. Nothing is changed in your text until you press “Use draft as my text”, and that can be undone.
Scores before and after
Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch–Kincaid grade, the average of five grade formulas, words per sentence, long sentences and complex words — for your text, the draft and the AI version.
Three targets
Grade 5 for the widest audience, grade 8 for general public information, and plain English for official writing.
Facts checked
After the AI step, names, numbers, amounts and dates are compared with the draft; missing and new ones are listed.
Which reading level should you aim for?
| Target | Reader | Goal used here | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | About age 10–11 (Year 6 in England, Class 5 in India) | Flesch–Kincaid grade under 6; sentences of 15 words or fewer | Health leaflets, easy-read guides, children |
| Grade 8 | About age 13–14 (Year 9, Class 8) | Flesch–Kincaid grade under 9; sentences of 20 words or fewer | Public information, websites, customer letters |
| Plain English | Busy adults | Flesch Reading Ease 60 or more, 20 words or fewer per sentence on average | Policies, contracts, official forms |
Examples from the swap list
The list was written for this page and is free to reuse (public domain, CC0). Each entry is an exact word form, so “obtained” becomes “got” and “obtaining” becomes “getting” without grammar guessing. Open “See the whole swap list” in the tool for every entry.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| are required to | must |
| prior to · subsequent to | before · after |
| in order to | to |
| approximately | about |
| commence · terminate | start · end |
| utilise · facilitate | use · help |
| in the event that | if |
| due to the fact that | because |
| endeavour to | try to |
| notify · inform you | tell · tell you |
| sufficient · numerous | enough · many |
| with regard to | about |
What the scores do — and don’t — tell you
Readability formulas count only sentence length and word length (syllables or letters). They are useful for spotting dense writing, but a short sentence full of unfamiliar terms can still score well, and a perfectly clear technical term such as “anaesthetic” counts as hard. Treat the target as a guide, not a pass mark.
The AI step has its own risk: simpler wording can quietly change meaning — “must” becoming “should”, or a condition disappearing. Read the AI version against your original, especially for legal, medical or financial text, and use the fact check as a starting point rather than a guarantee. To shorten as well as simplify, try the Text Shortener.
Text Simplifier FAQ
What does a text simplifier do?
It rewrites text so more people can read it easily: shorter sentences, everyday words, and less jargon. This one does the safe mechanical changes first, without AI, and offers an AI rewrite on your device as an optional second step.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The swaps, splits and scores run in your browser, and the AI step uses your browser’s built-in AI or an open model on your device. Only the model files are downloaded, once, after you agree.
Why does the draft still have long sentences?
Splits are only suggested at safe points such as a semicolon or “, which”. If a sentence has none, it is listed with no suggestion — split it by hand, or let the AI step rewrite it.
Are the readability scores the same as the Readability Checker’s?
Yes — the same Flesch, Flesch–Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman–Liau and ARI formulas, syllable rules and sentence rules.
Can I simplify legal or medical text with it?
You can make it easier to read, but have the result checked by someone qualified. Simplifying can change meaning, and the AI may miss a condition or exception.
Does it work in other languages?
The swap list and readability formulas are for English. The AI step can simplify other languages it knows, but the scores will not be meaningful.