Rewrite · 6 checks · max 400 tokens · benched 2026-09-16

Grok 4.6 vs Grok 4.5 vs Grok 4.20 vs Grok 4.3 on jargon to plain english for a 12-year-old

xAI models side by side on "Jargon to plain English for a 12-year-old": Grok 4.3 scores 9/10; Grok 4.3 is the cheapest answer scoring 8+ at $1.41 per 1,000 runs. Outputs, checks, judge reasons, latency and cost.

The prompt every model received

User

Rewrite this paragraph so a 12-year-old would understand it. Keep it under 70 words and do not use the words "leverage", "synergy" or "paradigm". Output only the rewritten paragraph.

Paragraph: Our next-generation battery architecture leverages a solid-state electrolyte paradigm to achieve synergy between energy density and thermal stability, enabling a 40% increase in range while mitigating the combustion risk profile associated with legacy lithium-ion chemistries.

Rubric for the judge: Simple vocabulary, keeps the 40% range gain and the safety point, under 70 words, banned words absent.

Side by side

Every cell is one OpenRouter call at temperature 0 with the prompt's token cap and reasoning effort "low" where the model supports it. Cost is usage × the catalogue rate in models.json. Quality is one judge call to anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5 against the prompt's rubric, cached per prompt version.

Grok 4.6

x-ai/grok-4.6

9/10

Latency: 596ms
Cost: $0.00249
Per 1,000: $2.49

302 in · 346 out (304 reasoning) · 38 words · checks 5/6

max_words
contains
contains
not_contains
not_contains
not_contains

Our new batteries use a solid material inside instead of liquid. They store more energy and stay cooler, so electric cars can go 40 percent farther and are much less likely to catch fire than older lithium batteries.

Judge: Excellent rewrite: simple vocabulary, includes 40% range gain and safety benefit, 28 words (well under 70), avoids all banned words, and is age-appropriate for a 12-year-old.

Grok 4.5

x-ai/grok-4.5

9/10

Latency: 680ms
Cost: $0.00243
Per 1,000: $2.43

302 in · 305 out (262 reasoning) · 39 words · checks 6/6

max_words
contains
contains
not_contains
not_contains
not_contains

Our new battery design uses a solid material inside to pack in more energy and stay cooler. This helps electric cars go 40% farther on a charge and makes them much less likely to catch fire than older batteries.

Judge: Excellent rewrite: simple vocabulary, includes 40% range gain and safety benefit, 28 words (well under 70), avoids all banned words, and is perfectly understandable to a 12-year-old.

Grok 4.20

x-ai/grok-4.20

9/10

Latency: 275ms
Cost: $0.00255
Per 1,000: $2.55

275 in · 935 out (886 reasoning) · 45 words · checks 5/6

max_words
contains
contains
not_contains
not_contains
not_contains

Our new batteries use a solid material inside instead of a liquid. This lets them store more energy safely without getting too hot. Electric cars can now go 40 percent farther on one charge and are much less likely to catch fire than old batteries.

Judge: Excellent rewrite: simple vocabulary, includes 40% range gain and safety benefits, 43 words (well under 70), avoids all banned words, and is age-appropriate for a 12-year-old.

Grok 4.3

x-ai/grok-4.3

9/10

top judge scorecheapest scoring 8+

Latency: 265ms
Cost: $0.00141
Per 1,000: $1.41

281 in · 504 out (466 reasoning) · 33 words · checks 6/6

max_words
contains
contains
not_contains
not_contains
not_contains

Our new battery uses a solid material inside it. This helps it store more power and stay safe from heat. It lets cars go 40% farther without the fire risks of old batteries.

Judge: Excellent simplification for a 12-year-old, includes the 40% range gain and safety point, 28 words (well under 70), avoids all banned words, and uses age-appropriate vocabulary throughout.

Frequently asked

What does this prompt test?

Rewrite: Simple vocabulary, keeps the 40% range gain and the safety point, under 70 words, banned words absent. The deterministic checks are max_words, contains, contains, not_contains, not_contains, not_contains.

Which model should I pick for this task?

If the judge's bar of 8/10 is good enough for you, Grok 4.3 at $1.41 per 1,000 runs. If you need the top score, Grok 4.3 at $1.41 per 1,000 runs.

Same prompt, other families

Run it yourself

Re-run this prompt on xAI with your own OpenRouter key, or tweak the wording and see what changes.

Side by side

Grok 4.6

Grok 4.5

Grok 4.20

Grok 4.3

Frequently asked

Same prompt, other families

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