Readablity Scores

Readability Scores

What is a readability score?

A readability score is a number that tells you how easy it will be for someone to read a particular piece of text.

How do I get a readability score?

Grammarly’s readability score is based on the average length of sentences and words in your document, using a formula known as the Flesch reading-ease test.

The Flesch reading ease test measures the readability of a text. It uses two variables to determine the readability score:

●      the average length of your sentences (measured by the number of words)

●      the average number of syllables per word

Then, it provides you with a score between 0 and 100. A score of 100 means your copy is very easy to read. And, a score of 0 means your text is very difficult to read. You can see the exact interpretation of all the scores on the scale in the table below.

What score is best practice?

There is not an overall best practice standard as each document, web page or content set is meant for a certain audience. You need to evaluate what that audience is to determine what the best score level is for the content.

The higher the number, the easier it is to read your document.

In most cases, you should aim for a score of 60 or higher. With a score of 60, your document will be easy to read for most people with at least an eighth-grade education. (That’s an average 13-year-old.) You also need to take into account if the content is being translated. 

How do I raise the score?

The best way to raise your readability score is to cut down lengthy sentences and replace complex words with simpler ones.

Here are some tools that can help you assess, change your score or write differently:

●      Siteimprove (paid) - Department Communicators have access to their site.

●      Grammarly (free & paid tool versions) - free writing app to make their online writing clear and effective

●      Hemingway App (free tool) - makes your writing bold and clear. The app highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors.

●      On Writing Well (Book) - praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet.

●      Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Book) - Web designers and developers have relied on usability guru Steve Krug’s guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and information design.

●      Smart Brevity (Book) - Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. The co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart Brevity—think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for the digital age.

●     Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content  (Book) - practical, how-to advice and insight you need for the process and strategy of content creation, production, and publishing.