Fry Readability Graph
Plot your text on the Fry readability graph. Three 100-word samples are measured for syllables and sentences, then charted to read off the US grade level.
Fry graph
Paste some text above and the sample counts will appear here.
Fry’s grade regions are printed curves, not an equation. This tool redraws them from the graph’s own axis endpoints and reproduces Fry’s published worked example — 141 syllables and 6.3 sentences per 100 words reads as 7th grade. Syllables come from a spelling heuristic, so treat the result as ±1 grade, exactly as Fry advised.
What is the Fry Readability Graph?
Edward Fry's readability graph has been a staple of American classrooms since 1968: take three 100-word samples, count the syllables and sentences in each, average them, and plot the point to read the grade level straight off the chart.
- Automatic sampling from the start, middle and end of the document
- Manual mode for pasting your own three 100-word samples
- Fractional sentence counting, exactly as Fry's procedure specifies
- Canvas-drawn graph with labelled axes, grade bands and your plotted point
- Warns when the point lands in Fry's shaded rare-combination corners
- PNG download, and 100% local processing with nothing uploaded
How to use the Fry Readability Graph
- 1
Choose whether the tool should pick three samples for you or you will paste them yourself.
- 2
Paste your document — 300 words or more gives the tool three full 100-word samples.
- 3
Read the grade band and the average syllable and sentence counts in the stats row.
- 4
Look at the plotted red dot on the graph to see how close it sits to the next grade band.
- 5
Download the graph as a PNG if you need it for a report or lesson plan.
About the Fry Readability Graph
Edward Fry's readability graph has been a staple of American classrooms since 1968: take three 100-word samples, count the syllables and sentences in each, average them, and plot the point to read the grade level straight off the chart. This tool does all of that for you and draws the graph, so you get the plotted point rather than just a number.
Paste a document and the tool takes samples from the start, the middle and the end automatically, or switch to manual mode and paste the three passages yourself. Sentences are counted fractionally, exactly as Fry's procedure requires — a sample that stops six words into a ten-word sentence counts 0.6 of a sentence, which is why his own worked example reports 6.6 and 5.5 rather than whole numbers.
The graph is drawn on a canvas in your browser and can be downloaded as a PNG for a lesson plan or a report. Nothing is uploaded — the analysis is pure JavaScript running on your device, and it works offline once the page has loaded.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Fry readability graph work?
You count the number of sentences and the number of syllables in three separate 100-word samples, then average both figures. The average syllable count is the horizontal axis and the average sentence count the vertical axis; where they meet tells you the reading grade level.
How accurate is the Fry graph?
Fry himself described it as accurate to about one grade level, and that is still the right expectation. This tool reproduces his printed worked example — 141 syllables and 6.3 sentences per 100 words reads as 7th grade — but treat any single reading as an estimate rather than a measurement.
Why do I need three samples instead of one?
Documents are uneven. An introduction is often simpler than a methods section, so a single sample can be misleading. Averaging three passages from different parts of the text gives a reading that represents the whole document.
What are the shaded corners on the graph?
They mark combinations Fry flagged as rare: very long words with very short sentences, or very short words with very long sentences. Real prose almost never lands there, and when it does the graph cannot grade it reliably — the tool warns you when your point falls in one.
How is this different from the Raygor estimate?
Raygor's graph is the syllable-free companion: it counts words of six or more letters instead of syllables, which is faster to do by hand. The two normally agree within about one grade on the same text.
Is my document uploaded to a server?
No. Sampling, counting and drawing all happen in your browser with JavaScript and the HTML canvas. Nothing leaves your device, so unpublished manuscripts and school materials are safe to paste.
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