Text Simplifier

A text simplifier is a tool that rewrites difficult writing so it is easier to read, without changing what it says. It shortens long sentences, swaps rare or technical words for common ones, turns passive sentences into active ones and explains terms that cannot be removed.

Simplifying is different from summarising. A summary leaves things out to make the text shorter. A text simplifier keeps every point and fact, and only changes how they are expressed. The simplified version may even be a little longer, because a hard word sometimes needs a short explanation.

Who uses a text simplifier?

• Students reading textbooks, journal articles or primary sources above their level.
• English language learners who know the subject but not the vocabulary.
• Teachers adapting a reading for different groups in one class.
• Anyone facing a confusing letter, contract or set of instructions.

Is it the same as Rewordify?

Rewordify replaces hard words one at a time, often with a highlighted definition. This text simplifier rewrites whole sentences, so the grammar and flow change too, which usually makes the result easier to follow. If you only want hard words swapped and sentence length kept, choose the Simpler words goal.

When you ask the tool to simplify this sentence, it works through four changes in order. Knowing them helps you judge the result and simplify by hand when you need to.

1. Split long sentences. A sentence over about 25 words is hard to hold in your head. The simplifier breaks it at natural joints such as “and”, “which” or “because”.
2. Use common words. “Utilise” becomes “use”, “subsequently” becomes “later”, “commence” becomes “start”.
3. Use the active voice. “The results were analysed by the team” becomes “The team analysed the results”.
4. Keep the facts. Names, numbers, dates, quotes and citations are protected, so they come back exactly as you wrote them.

Simplify this paragraph

The same steps work on a whole paragraph. Each sentence is simplified in context, so pronouns and links like “however” still point to the right ideas. If the paragraph is very dense, Grade 5 or Grade 7 will split it into more, shorter sentences.

Help me understand this

Sometimes you do not need a rewrite to hand in; you just need to understand what you are reading. Paste the passage, choose Grade 5, and read the simple version first. Then go back to the original. It will make much more sense, and you will learn the subject vocabulary along the way.

Many people search for a way to make it sound like a 7th grader wrote it, or to explain something “like I'm five”. Both mean the same thing: rewrite at a lower reading level. The text simplifier offers three grade levels plus plain English.

• Grade 5: the shortest sentences and the most common words. Good for younger students, early English learners or a first read of something very hard.
• Grade 7: short sentences and familiar words, with key terms kept and explained. This is the level most public writing aims for, and it suits most readers.
• Grade 9: clear and direct, but it keeps more of the subject's vocabulary. Good for high school work where the technical words matter.
• Plain English: written for adults, focused on clear official writing such as letters, policies and instructions.

What is a reading level?

Reading levels are usually measured with formulas like Flesch-Kincaid, which look at sentence length and the number of syllables per word. A Grade 7 score means a typical seventh grader could read the text comfortably. Readable's guide to Flesch-Kincaid explains how the scores are calculated.

Formulas are a guide, not a rule. A short sentence full of rare words can still be hard, so the text simplifier looks at both sentence length and word choice.

Plain English is a set of habits that make writing clear for its reader on the first read. Governments use it for public documents; the US federal government publishes plain language guidelines for its own writers. The core rules are the same ones the text simplifier follows:

• Write for your reader, and address them as “you” where it fits.
• Keep sentences short, ideally 15 to 20 words on average.
• Use the active voice.
• Use common words, and define terms you must keep.
• Put the main point first.
• Use lists for steps or several items.

Simple is not childish

Simplifying does not mean talking down to the reader. Plain English is how the best science writers and journalists explain difficult ideas. The goal is that the reader spends their effort on the idea, not on decoding the sentence.

Reading hard sources

Journal articles and older texts are written for experts. Simplify the abstract or a tricky paragraph first, so you know what the source argues before you read it closely.

Studying for exams

Turn dense textbook notes into short, clear sentences you can remember. Simple notes are easier to turn into flashcards.

Learning English

If English is not your first language, simplified versions help you understand the content while you build vocabulary. Compare the two versions to learn what the hard words mean.

Making your own writing clearer

Paste your own draft and choose Grade 9 or Plain English. If your sentences get much shorter, your draft may be harder to read than it needs to be. The Paragraph Rewriter and the Rewording Tool can then help polish it.

A note on assignments

Simplifying a source to understand it is good study practice. Handing in a simplified version of someone else's text as your own writing is not. If you use ideas from a source, write them in your own words and cite it.

It should not, and the text simplifier is built to avoid it. Numbers, dates, names, quotes and citations are protected before the text is rewritten and restored afterwards. After rewriting, each sentence is checked: if a negative such as “not” disappeared, a hedge such as “may” became “will”, or a number changed, the sentence is marked for you to review.

The biggest risk with any simplifier is losing nuance. “May reduce the risk” and “reduces the risk” are very different claims. Always read the simplified version against the original, especially for science, law or medicine.

Technical terms

Some words cannot be replaced without losing accuracy, such as photosynthesis, mitosis or precedent. The text simplifier keeps these and explains them in simple words instead. To be sure a term is never changed, add it under More options as a protected term.

Privacy

The Study Corp does not store your text. It is sent to our AI providers (Groq, with Google Gemini as a backup) only to create the version you see.

Tools are fast, but it helps to know how to simplify without one, for exams or when you want full control. Work through a sentence with these questions.

Who is doing what? Find the real subject and the real action. In “An investigation was carried out by the committee into the complaints”, the committee is doing the action, and the action is investigating. So: “The committee investigated the complaints.”

Which words are doing no work? Phrases like “due to the fact that” (because), “in order to” (to), “at this point in time” (now) and “it is important to note that” (cut it) add length without meaning.

Is there a shorter, everyday word? Try saying the sentence out loud as if you were explaining it to a friend. The words you reach for naturally are usually the simple ones.

Can it be two sentences? If a sentence has more than one main idea, give each idea its own sentence. Readers handle one idea at a time best.

Does a term need explaining? If a word must stay, add a short explanation the first time it appears: “Glucose, a type of sugar, …”.

A worked example

Original: “In light of the fact that numerous participants failed to complete the questionnaire, the reliability of the findings is, to a certain extent, called into question.”

Step by step: “In light of the fact that” becomes “because”. “Numerous participants failed to complete” becomes “many people did not finish”. “The reliability of the findings is called into question” becomes “the results may not be reliable”. “To a certain extent” is a hedge, so it stays as “may”.

Simplified: “Many people did not finish the questionnaire, so the results may not be fully reliable.”

Notice that the hedge survived. Keeping the writer's level of certainty is the part people most often get wrong when they simplify, and it is the part the tool checks for you.

• Simplify a paragraph at a time when the text is very dense. Smaller pieces keep the context tight.
• Start at Grade 7. Move down to Grade 5 if it is still hard, or up to Grade 9 if too much detail was lost.
• Protect key terms your teacher expects you to use, so they stay exactly as written.
• Read the original again afterwards. The simple version is a ladder, not a replacement.
• Check every marked sentence. A mark means a number, negative or hedge changed and needs a human look.

When to use a different tool

If you want the text shorter rather than simpler, use the Sentence Shortener. If you want a short overview of a long text, a summariser fits better. If you want your own writing to sound more polished rather than simpler, try Say It Better.