Walt Kania   :Writer
Your Readability Meter
Is that copy easy to read?  Or not?
 
Tucked inside your Microsoft Word program is a little feature that supposedly measures how easy your document is to read.
 
Or how difficult it is.
 
It's called the Flesch Reading Ease score.  Microsoft Word calculates it for you automatically whenever you run a Grammar Check.*
 
What does that score actually tell you?
 
Degree of difficulty
 
The Flesch Reading Ease score was developed by a linguist named Rudolf Flesch back in the 50's, as a way of evaluating the 'readability' of text.
 
Flesch based his score on an algorithm that evaluates the length of words and sentences.  The notion is, text with long sentences and big words is harder to read.  But text built of simple words and short sentences will read like butter.
 
Flesch scores range from 1 (darn near impossible) to 100 (about as easy as it gets).  A Flesch score of about 60 is considered normal, everyday English.  
 
Can you measure readability by the numbers?
 
If you look at the Flesch scores for well-known publications, the numbers do seem to match what most people would consider 'easier' and 'harder' to read.
 
  1. Sample Flesch Readability Scores
 
  1. 100 -  Easiest
  2. 90 -    Dick and Jane, Dr. Seuss
  3. 80 -    Comic Book
  4. 70 -    
  5. 60 -    Reader's Digest
  6. 50 -    USA Today
  7. 40 -    Wall Street Journal, Forbes
  8. 30 -    Industry White paper, Harvard Law Review
  9. 20 -    SEC Regulations, Chemistry Text
  10. 10 -
  11.  0 -      Most Difficult
 
A first-grade reading book scores a 90-something.  The Wall Street Journal, mid 40s.  Your typical white paper, 30-something, which is pretty tough going.
 
The trouble is, word and sentence length are only surface yardsticks; they don't address the readability of your language, your ideas, and even your subject matter.  And that has a far greater effect on how appealing your prose is.  
 
Skewed numbers
 
For example, it's entirely possible to write text that pulls a good Flesch score -- a 60, let's say -- but is still utterly incomprehensible, dull as dust, or both.  (By law, insurance policies used in Ohio must have a Flesch score of 60.  Readable, but a snooze.)
 
Likewise, if your copy must include the phrase "redundant network configurations" twelve or fourteen times, those extra syllables will hurt your Flesch score.  But if you do everything else right, your piece can be a breeze to read.
 
Being interesting counts
 
The manager of a corporate web site once told me he was happy when his articles scored around 45 — which is about the same as Forbes magazine and the Wall Street Journal.
 
That may be so, but the average WSJ article is five times more interesting — meaning more 'readable' — than the fluff on many company web sites.  His 45 isn't the same as the 45 in Forbes.
 
Studies suggest that readers will tolerate clunky prose if they are fascinated by the subject.  So the more compelling and irresistible your story, the less important is the Flesch score.  (Although compelling and irresistible copy almost always scores well anyway.)  
 
Conversely, if the topic is dull, it’s best to make the text read like silk.  When I can't be interesting, I shoot for effortless.  
 
What to look for
 
I do recommend checking your readability scores.  But only be alert for extreme numbers.
 
For most business-oriented content, scores in the 40s and 50s are fine. For consumers, you might aim higher.
 
But if a document coughs up a score in the 20s — which is about as readable as a calculus textbook — it’s a problem.  Chances are, the text is plagued by sentences that go on too long.  Trim them back.  Keep it to one thought per sentence.   And look for boxcar phrases like "mitigating recurrent customer dissatisfaction episodes."  Use simple words instead.
 
On the other hand, if you manage to write a complex corporate piece that pulls an admirable Flesch Reading Ease of 65, I applaud your skill.
 
But I recommend you go back and clog up the copy a bit.
 
Because someone upstairs will undoubtedly think it too simple and not "business-like" or "professional" enough.
 
In that case, you can drag it down to a 45 or so, no problem.
 
 
 
 
* When you complete a Grammar Check, Word will display a window of Readability Statistics, including the Flesch score and other stats.  If the window doesn't display, go to Preferences, click Spelling and Grammar, and check the box for 'Show Readability Statistics'.
 
For the record, this article clocked a Flesch Reading Ease of  67.   But I had it easy.  I didn't have four people looking over my shoulder telling me to add more stuff and make it sound fancier.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Walt Kania is a freelance writer specializing in marketing communications for B2B and technology companies.  He works out of New Jersey.  Contact him here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Just add people
 
Text that is rich in personal words — such as she, they, boss, grandfather, technician, Duane — is inherently more readable.
 
In fact, Flesch used to count ‘personal references per 100 words’ in his early formula.
 
You can also pull readers along in your text with words about action and emotion.  Although it’s harder to get such copy approved.
 
 
 
 
 
“Simple words and short sentences make copy easy to read,” said Dick.
 
“Being interesting helps, too,” said Jane.
“If the topic is dull, I at least try to make the text effortless to read.  
 
“Sort of like greasing the rails for the reader.”
 
How to Design for Easy Reading:
 
The typography and layout of your page can dramatically boost the readability of your content.  Bad design can make it inaccessible.
 
The most intelligent and cogent advice on website design I have seen is the 100% Easy-2-Read Standard by Oliver Reichenstein at informationarchitects.jp.  And they practice what they preach.