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 recognized rules with specific requirements for sentence length, word choice, syntax and layout. Since 2011, BITV 2.0 has required federal public bodies to provide explanations in Easy Language on their websites. The Accessibility Strengthening Act (in effect since June 28, 2025) does not mandate Easy Language, but understandable, well-structured information has become more important for many covered offers.

The rules are not an end in themselves. They are the result of years of work with the target audience: 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.” Important foundations include the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache rulebook and DIN SPEC 33429 (March 2025), a technical specification for Easy Language. 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 fixed rules, including the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache rulebook and DIN SPEC 33429. According to professional standards, Easy Language texts are checked by people from the target audience. Easy Language is anchored in BGG and BITV 2.0. The Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e. V. awards its own certificate; 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 been its own standard for it: DIN 8581-1. It is expressly not aimed at people with cognitive impairments. The frequently cited orientation toward 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 audience 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 audience: 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 toward the level of Plain Language in the medium term.
• Adults with low literacy skills—the 6.2 million adults mentioned above, who can read individual words but struggle with connected texts
• Deaf people—for many of them, German Sign Language (DGS) is their first language; written German can then be a foreign language
• Older people—who increasingly find complex written language difficult

These groups partly overlap. Even so, the point is clear: Easy Language is not a niche. It reaches people who are often excluded by standard language.

Review groups: why expertise alone is not enough

According to professional standards, a text in Easy Language should be reviewed by people from the target audience. Linguistic expertise alone is not enough; the decisive question is whether the target audience actually understands the text.

A review 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? In a professional workflow, the text is revised until the review 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 review group.

Legal basis

Easy Language is not an optional courtesy. For certain public content, it is provided for or required by law:

• Disability Equality Act (BGG), Section 11: public bodies should make greater use of Easy Language and build the necessary skills for it.
• BITV 2.0, Annex 2: the websites of federal public bodies must provide explanations in Easy Language and German Sign Language on the home page. These include essential content, navigation notes and explanations of the accessibility statement.
• BFSG (in effect since June 28, 2025): no direct obligation to use Easy Language, but requirements for understandable and accessibly provided information for certain products and services.
• 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 explicit Easy Language obligation mainly affects public bodies. In the private sector, demand is nevertheless rising: health insurers, insurance companies and large employers use Easy Language and accessible communication because understandable texts can reduce follow-up questions, reach more people and lower risks.

What a good text in Easy Language costs

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

Guide prices per standard page (1,500 characters including spaces) range from EUR 60 to EUR 120 depending on the complexity of the source text. Official texts, legal documents, and medical information sit at the upper end because the subject-matter hurdle is higher. Specific prices depend on the source text—please request 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 patronizing.
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 its own standard with target-audience checking. One does not replace the other.

Annemarie Andersen

Independent language specialist

Specializing in Easy Language in line with 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.