Your text, marked up
jargon hover or tap for a plainer word long sentence over 20 words
Plain-word draft
Jargon swapped for everyday words. A starting point: read it aloud and fix the grammar.
What to do next
Show the working, step by step
Where I used this
I ran a year-long campus harm-reduction campaign that was segmented by audience and evaluated from start to finish.
Read the case: Campus harm-reduction campaign: segmented, evaluated prevention →Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Why plain language is a health intervention
A message nobody can read changes nobody’s behavior. Low health literacy is linked to missed doses, skipped screenings and avoidable hospital visits, and it is far more common than most organizations assume. Writing at a 6th to 8th grade level is not dumbing down. It removes the friction between the advice and the action.
- Short sentences. One idea per sentence. Aim for an average under 15 words.
- Everyday words. “High blood pressure”, not “hypertension”. “Use”, not “utilize”.
- Lead with the action. Tell people what to do first, then why.
- Test with real readers. A formula is a check, not a substitute for five conversations with the people you are writing for.
The same rules apply beyond health departments: insurance and fintech policy wording, workplace wellness emails and health claims on consumer products all succeed or fail on whether people understand them. More in health communication and the essays on behavior change and public health.
Get new free tools by email. One short note when a new tool or essay goes live. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Want health messages people act on?
Bring your draft to a free 30-minute call. I am a CHES®-certified health educator, and I will help you rewrite it for the people who need it most.
Questions
What reading level should health information be written at?
Patient and public health materials are commonly recommended to sit at a 6th to 8th grade reading level. Plain language helps everyone, including people with high literacy who are tired, worried or reading on a phone.
How is the grade level calculated?
It uses the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula, based on average sentence length and average syllables per word. It is a useful signal, not a verdict: short words can still be confusing, so read the jargon and long-sentence flags too.
What is the plain-word draft?
Your text with each flagged term swapped for an everyday word. It is a starting point, not a finished rewrite: read it aloud and fix any grammar the swaps create.
Does it work for Bangla text?
Partly. Grade-level formulas are built for English, so for Bangla the checker reports sentence length and flags long sentences, which is the biggest readability lever in any language.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The text is analyzed in your browser and never leaves your device. It is not saved in the page link either. The page only records that the checker was used, never what you pasted.