Median Flesch-Kincaid grade of top-5 ranking pages by vertical
| Vertical | Pages | Median grade (top 5) | Median grade (#1 only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel | 679 | 13.3 | 13.7 |
| Auto parts | 666 | 12.2 | 11.8 |
| Baby | 888 | 12.1 | 12.3 |
| Beauty | 796 | 12.9 | 12.9 |
| Dental and medical | 932 | 11.7 | 11.6 |
| DIY | 691 | 10.5 | 12.8 |
| Education | 899 | 13.3 | 13.9 |
| Electronics | 726 | 10.8 | 11.5 |
| Finance | 808 | 11.0 | 10.8 |
| Fitness | 866 | 9.8 | 9.9 |
| Gaming | 916 | 10.5 | 10.5 |
| Gardening | 734 | 11.6 | 11.4 |
| Health | 1,059 | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| Home | 739 | 13.0 | 12.9 |
| Home services | 806 | 11.6 | 11.7 |
| Insurance | 857 | 12.1 | 11.9 |
| Jewelry | 918 | 14.9 | 15.8 |
| Kitchen | 712 | 11.2 | 11.1 |
| Legal | 1,047 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| Marketing | 839 | 11.6 | 11.7 |
| Outdoor | 728 | 12.1 | 12.2 |
| Parenting | 500 | 10.5 | 10.0 |
| Pets | 837 | 11.4 | 11.6 |
| Real estate | 662 | 11.8 | 11.5 |
| Recipes | 793 | 8.8 | 9.1 |
| Restaurants | 580 | 10.8 | 9.9 |
| SaaS comparisons | 1,013 | 12.8 | 13.0 |
| Software | 1,139 | 13.0 | 12.9 |
| Supplements | 976 | 11.5 | 11.6 |
| Travel | 826 | 12.4 | 13.0 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Pages with 100 or more parsed words; lists and product grids push scores up.
Summary
Writing advice often says to keep web copy simple, at a middle-school reading level. We wanted to know how hard the pages that actually rank are to read, and whether that changes from vertical to vertical or from #1 to #5.
We scored the top 5 Google results for 10,019 US keywords with the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula. Across 24,632 readable pages, the median top-5 page scores grade 11.8. Most ranking pages read well above the level that writing guides suggest, and the #1 result reads about the same as the #5.
What we measured
We looked at the top 5 organic Google US results for 10,019 keywords in October 2026: 49,855 pages, of which 29,776 had readable text. We kept the 24,632 pages with at least 100 parsed words and scored up to the first 3,000 words of each.
Flesch-Kincaid grade estimates the US school grade a reader needs, based on sentence length and syllables per word. Higher means harder. We report medians, so a few very hard or very easy pages do not pull the figures around.
Two limits matter. First, the formula needs full sentences. Lists, tables and product grids confuse sentence detection, which pushes short pages and store-led verticals toward higher scores. Second, this is a description of what ranks, not a test of what makes pages rank. Reading level is not a ranking factor, and nothing here suggests it is.
The typical top result reads at grade 11.8
The median top-5 ranking page scores grade 11.8. That puts the middle of the results near the end of high school, well above the plain-language targets many style guides set.
The spread is wide. 38.5% of ranking pages score grade 13 or above, which is college level. Only 10.4% score grade 8 or below, the range writing guides usually recommend for a general audience.
Some of that is the formula. Pages with long, list-heavy sections read as a few very long sentences, which raises the grade. So read the exact grade with some caution. The differences between verticals and page lengths say more than the headline number.
Recipes read easiest, jewelry hardest
The vertical makes a clear difference. Recipes are the easiest-reading vertical at a median grade of 8.8, followed by fitness (9.8) and DIY, gaming and parenting (10.5 each). These pages tend to be written as instructions or conversation, with short sentences and everyday words.
At the other end, jewelry scores 14.9, apparel 13.3, education 13.3, software 13.0 and home 13.0. Jewelry, apparel and home results include many product and category pages, where specs and product grids score as long sentences. Education and software pages more often use technical vocabulary with longer words.
YMYL (your money or your life) verticals sit near the middle rather than at the top. Legal scores 12.4, insurance 12.1, health 11.3 and finance 11.0. The full list of verticals, with the #1-only median for each, is in the table above.
Short pages score hardest
Page length moves the score, and shorter pages score harder. Pages with 100 to 499 parsed words have a median grade of 13.5 (7,353 pages). Pages with 1,000 to 1,999 words have a median of 11.0 (6,212 pages).
Short pages are likely not written in harder prose. They are more often product grids, listings and category pages with few full sentences, so the formula reads strings of product names and specs as one long sentence. Long articles have more ordinary sentences, which bring the grade down.
Reading level does not separate top results
If simpler writing helped pages climb, you would expect #1 results to read more easily than #5 results. They do not. The median is 11.9 at #1 and #2 and 11.6 at #5.
Within verticals, the #1-only medians in the table move in both directions. In some verticals the #1 page reads harder than the top 5 overall, and in others it reads easier. Reading level goes with the topic and page type, not with position.
What this means for your site
Do not rewrite pages to hit a target grade in the hope of ranking higher. The data gives no sign that reading level separates top results.
Write for the reader the query brings. A recipe or how-to page should be easy to follow, with short steps and plain words. A legal, software or education page can use the terms its readers expect, as long as each sentence is clear.
- Break long sentences in your intros and key answers. Those are the parts readers skim first.
- Use real lists and tables for specs and steps, rather than long run-on paragraphs.
- Compare your page with the current top 5 for your query. If they all read far easier than yours, your audience probably expects plainer writing.
- Run readability checks as a writing aid, not as an SEO score.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of Google US top 5 results for 10,019 keywords, October 2026
- Google Search Central, creating helpful, reliable, people-first content: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/top-result-reading-level">Top Result Reading Level 2026: Grade 11.8 Median - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
What reading level are top-ranking pages written at?
The median top-5 Google result scores Flesch-Kincaid grade 11.8, across 24,632 readable pages for 10,019 US keywords. 38.5% score grade 13 or above and only 10.4% score grade 8 or below.
Does a lower reading level help a page rank higher?
Our data gives no sign of it. The median grade is 11.9 at #1 and #2 and 11.6 at #5, so reading level does not separate the top results.
Which types of pages are easiest to read?
Recipes are the easiest-reading vertical at a median grade of 8.8, followed by fitness at 9.8 and DIY, gaming and parenting at 10.5 each. Jewelry is the hardest at 14.9.
Why do short pages get high reading grades?
Pages with 100 to 499 parsed words have a median grade of 13.5, against 11.0 for pages with 1,000 to 1,999 words. Short pages are often product grids and listings with few full sentences, which the formula reads as very long sentences.
Clear writing is one of the easiest page improvements to make, and it helps readers whether or not it moves rankings. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.