What is Easy Language?

More than just writing simply

Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) is not simplified German. And it is not the same as “writing plainly”. Easy Language follows a recognised set of rules with specific requirements for sentence length, word choice, syntax and layout. Since 2011, BITV 2.0 has required federal authorities to provide explanations in Easy Language on their websites – on the home page and in the accessibility statement. The Accessibility Strengthening Act (in force since June 2025) does not mandate Easy Language, but understandable communication is becoming a prerequisite for accessibility.

The rules are not an end in themselves. They are the result of years of work with the target group: people for whom standard language is a barrier. And there are far more of them than most people assume.

The rules: what makes Easy Language

There is no single “Easy Language book”. The rules come from two sources: the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache (updated May 2025) and DIN SPEC 33429 (March 2025), the first technical specification for Easy Language at all. The two agree on the core points:

• Short sentences. One sentence contains one statement. Subordinate clauses are avoided or broken out into separate sentences.
• Familiar words. Foreign words and technical terms are explained or replaced with everyday words. If a technical term is necessary, the explanation follows directly in the text.
• Active phrasing. Passive constructions are avoided. “The application was rejected” becomes “The authority rejected the application.”
• One word per concept. Synonyms cause confusion. If something is called an “application”, it stays an “application” throughout the text – not “request” here and “submission” there.
• No abbreviations. Or only ones that have been introduced and explained beforehand.
• Clear layout. Large type (at least 14 point), ragged-right alignment instead of justified text, plenty of white space, images as an aid to understanding.

Easy Language vs. Plain Language

The two terms are often confused. That is a problem, because the difference has legal consequences.

Easy Language follows the rulebook of the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache – binding for certified providers. DIN SPEC 33429 brings together additional recommendations. Texts in Easy Language must be tested by a checking group. The language is anchored in law (BITV 2.0, BGG). The Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e. V. awards its own certificate for certified providers; it is a private industry certificate, not a state seal.

Plain Language is aimed at a broader audience and is less heavily simplified. Since May 2024 there has also been an official standard for it: DIN 8581-1. The frequently cited orientation towards CEFR level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference is not part of that standard but an informal rule of thumb. Unlike Easy Language, testing by the target group is not part of the standard.

Where BITV 2.0 requires explanations in Easy Language – for instance on the home page or in the accessibility statement – Plain Language is not sufficient. For other content, Plain Language can be a sensible first step.

The target group: who needs Easy Language

Easy Language was originally developed for people with learning difficulties. The actual target audience is considerably larger:

• People with cognitive impairment – learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries
• People with dementia – around 1.8 million affected in Germany (Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft, 2024)
• People with limited German – immigrants, refugees, people learning German as a foreign language. Note: this group benefits from Easy Language but has different needs from people with cognitive impairment. German learners should work towards the level of Plain Language in the medium term.
• Functionally illiterate adults – the 6.2 million adults mentioned above, who can read individual words but struggle with connected texts
• Deaf people – for whom German Sign Language (DGS) is their first language and written German a foreign language
• Older people – who increasingly find complex written language difficult

Taken together, that is well over 10 million people in Germany. Easy Language is not a niche. It is a necessity.

Checking groups: why expertise alone is not enough

A text in Easy Language must be checked – and not by linguists, but by people from the target group. This is not an optional recommendation but a central part of the quality process.

A checking group typically consists of three to five people with learning difficulties who read the text and give feedback: Is it understandable? Are there passages that are unclear? Is an explanation missing? To professional standards, the text is revised until the checking group has understood it.

This is why AI cannot replace Easy Language. A language model can simplify sentences and apply rules. But it cannot check whether a person with learning difficulties actually understands the text. That feedback cannot be automated. Anyone wanting to use AI-generated texts in Easy Language still needs professional quality assurance and a real checking group.

Legal basis

Easy Language is not a voluntary nicety – for certain content it is required by law:

• Disability Equality Act (BGG), Section 11 BGG: public bodies should provide information in Easy Language. In administrative law, “should” means: yes as a rule, with deviation only on objective grounds.
• BITV 2.0, Annex 2: the websites of federal authorities should provide explanations in Easy Language and German Sign Language on the home page and in the accessibility statement. In force since 2011, tightened in 2019.
• BFSG (in force since June 2025): no direct obligation to use Easy Language, but the requirement for accessible communication makes understandable texts a necessity – and Easy Language the logical next step.
• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Articles 9 and 21: Germany has committed to providing information in accessible formats.

For now, the obligation applies mainly to public bodies. But the private sector is following suit – not out of idealism, but because it pays off: health insurers, insurance companies and large employers are turning to Easy Language and accessible communication, because understandable texts generate fewer queries, reach more people and reduce regulatory risk.

What a good text in Easy Language costs

Easy Language is more involved than ordinary editing. The text is not corrected but fully rendered anew: new structure, new wording, often a new layout too. On top of that comes the review by the checking group.

Guide prices per standard page (1,500 characters including spaces) range from 60 to 120 euros depending on the complexity of the source text. Official texts, legal documents and medical information sit at the upper end, because the specialist-language hurdle is higher. Specific prices depend on the source text – do ask for a quote.

Three things Easy Language is not

1. Child-speak. Easy Language is aimed at adults. The tone is respectful and matter-of-fact, not patronising.
2. Bad German. The simplified structure follows a set of rules. It is the result of professional work, not linguistic carelessness.
3. Superfluous if you “just write clearly”. Writing clearly is good. Easy Language is a defined standard with a mandatory checking stage. One does not replace the other.

Annemarie Andersen

Freelance language services provider

Specialising in Easy Language to BITV 2.0, editing and accessible communication. Before going freelance: quality management at Jung von Matt, InnoGames and Goodgame Studios. References: German Future Prize 2024 and 2025, Seniorpartner in School e.V. More about me.