What counts as a wordy phrase?

Anything in the published table in the shared simplification engine — phrases such as in order to, prior to, make a decision and at this point in time, each with a shorter equivalent and a note explaining why the original is worth replacing.

When does the tool split a sentence?

Only past twenty-five words and only at a comma with and, but, so, yet or or, or at a semicolon, and only when both halves stand as sentences. Otherwise the long sentence is left alone.

Do the before and after numbers use real formulas?

They use the same counts and the same readability engine as the Readability Grade Scorer: words, sentences, average sentence length and long-word share, all measured on your text rather than estimated.

Will simplifying change my meaning?

The substitutions are chosen to be equivalent in ordinary prose, but every one is listed with its source phrase so you can check. A phrase that is precise in your context — a legal term, say — should be restored.

Does it work on a whole document?

Yes, and it keeps sentences in order. The output can be copied or downloaded as plain text, and the sentence-by-sentence list shows exactly what changed in each one.

Simplify Text Tool

Your text

Text to simplify

Simplified version

Paste a sentence — the simplified version builds as you type.

What changed, sentence by sentence

No text yet.

Scope and limits

Substitutions come from a published wordiness table and a split only happens at a comma with and/but/so/ yet/or or a semicolon. Sentences past 25 words without such a seam are left whole.

Shorter is not automatically clearer, and a split changes the rhythm of a paragraph. Read the simplified version in context before replacing the original.

The simplify text tool replaces wordy phrases from a published table, splits sentences that run past twenty-five words at a documented seam, and reports the reading metrics before and after.

What is Simplify Text Tool?

The simplify text tool has two jobs and keeps them separate. The first is substitution: a published table of wordy phrases — in order to, utilise, at this point in time, provide assistance to, due to the fact that and about sixty more — is matched whole and replaced with a plainer equivalent. Each match is listed with the source phrase and the replacement, so the change can be reviewed rather than trusted, and a phrase that is not on the table is never touched.

The second job is sentence splitting, and it is more conservative on purpose. A sentence is only split when it runs past twenty-five words and contains a documented seam — a comma followed by and, but, so, yet or or, or a semicolon. Both halves must survive the cut with something to say; if the split would leave a fragment, the sentence is left whole and the tool says nothing about it. That is the difference between a useful simplifier and one that mangles long sentences in the name of readability.

The report then shows the arithmetic. Words, sentences and average sentence length are measured before and after, using the same readability engine that powers the rest of the domain, alongside the share of long words. When the sample is a paragraph, those numbers move visibly: the worked example on this page drops from twenty-eight words per sentence to fifteen, with six phrases replaced and one sentence split.

Reading level matters most where a document will be skimmed. Instructions, policies, product copy and consent forms are read by people who did not choose the subject and have no patience for padding. Substituting a shorter equivalent for a wordy phrase is the cheapest improvement available, and splitting a thirty-word sentence at its natural seam is the second cheapest. Neither requires the writer to rethink the argument, which is why both are worth doing before a more expensive revision.

The tool is honest about the trade. Shorter is not automatically clearer, and a split changes the rhythm of a paragraph — three short sentences in a row can sound choppy where one longer one flowed. The notes say to read the simplified version in context, and the original is preserved on the page beside each rewrite so the comparison costs nothing.

A document can be pasted whole. The simplifications are produced in order, the copy button exports the simplified text entire, and the download button saves it as a plain text file beside the draft. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored beyond the tab, so a client document stays where it belongs. What the tool will not do is rewrite an idea: it simplifies the sentences you wrote and leaves the thinking exactly where it was.

Pair the tool with the {{sentence-rewriter|Sentence Rewriter}} when a paragraph is monotonous rather than wordy; the rewriter changes the shape of sentences while the simplifier changes their weight.

One habit makes the metrics useful: simplify before you revise content, not after. Wordy phrases hide missing detail, and a sentence that shrinks from forty words to twenty often shows exactly which fact was never stated.

How to use Simplify Text Tool

Paste a paragraph or a whole document into the text box.
Read the phrase count and the before to after sentence-length figures.
Check the sentence-by-sentence list for any substitution that changed your meaning.
Review the split sentences in context; keep the split only where it reads better.
Copy or download the simplified version and compare it with the original.

When to use Simplify Text Tool vs related tools

Use the simplify text tool when a draft is padded rather than wrong — where the ideas are sound and the sentences are carrying more words than they need. It is the fastest first pass on instructions, policies and product copy, because the substitutions come from a fixed table and change no meaning.

Where the problem is sentence shape rather than sentence length, the Sentence Rewriter offers clause-order and splitting variants instead. And when the padding is technical vocabulary rather than wordiness, the Technical to Plain Language Converter expands acronyms and replaces listed jargon with plain words.

Privacy & Security

This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data ever leaves your device. There is no server round-trip, no upload, no logging, and no account required. Your input is processed locally using client-side JavaScript and is never stored, transmitted, or accessible to anyone else. When you close the tab, everything disappears.