If so, your document probably is just fine, as the formula is giving you an undesirable score because of the topic word. Then run the readability score again and see if it improves. Substitute a short word for your multisyllabic word that’s the topic of the document, using the Find and Replace feature. If you’re worried about this possibility, try this trick. If you’re using a topic that features quite a few multisyllabic words, your readability score may show that the text is difficult to comprehend, when it really is just using large words that the target audience easily understands. You may then make unhelpful edits, when, in reality, the majority of the document was fine before your edits. You could have a couple of sections of the document that use large words and complex sentences because of the topic, and these sections could throw off the readability score. The score represents an average of the entire document. No Specific SuggestionsĪlthough the readability score can give you a general idea about the quality and readability level of your text, it cannot make specific suggestions on where you should make changes or improvements. Some of the disadvantages of using readability scores include the following. If the text is too simplistic, which the readability score can help you determine, you may turn off your audience, especially if the readers are expecting to learn something from the document that they don’t already know. If you are creating a document for a high level academic audience with significant knowledge about the topic already, the readability score can help you determine whether the text is complex enough. If your document measures out to a readability score that requires a high grade level for comprehension, you may force your readers to spend a lot of time looking up terms and taking notes, meaning they cannot work through the material quickly enough to finish all of it. With a lower grade level readability score, the readers will be able to work through all of the text faster, allowing them to absorb more knowledge for the time they spend on it. When you are giving people a lot of documents to read, measuring the documents with a readability score can help you determine whether the text allows for quick comprehension. If your readability score ends up at a higher reading level than you want, you may find that you need to edit the document with simpler explanations and less jargon. The readability score can help you determine whether the text is more complex than you’d like it to be. If you are trying to make a particular point in your document, using terms that are too complex may leave readers unable to understand the point. Some of the advantages of using readability scores on your documents include the following. Others may use multiple formulas and take the average score of all of them.
MICROSOFT WORD READABILITY TOOL SOFTWARE
Some types of software will use only one readability formula.
Some formulas have a heavier focus on the number of syllables in the sentences. Other readability index formulas may emphasize the complexity of the words in use more than the complexity of the sentence structure. They then assign a suggested reading grade level to the document. The most popular are Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease, both of which study the total number of sentences and words in the document, along with the length of the words, to create a score. When calculating readability scores in a document, software examines the types of words in use, as well as the structure and length of sentences.Ī few different formulas are available for calculating readability scores. It only measures the ability of the audience to read your document easily. Understand that readability score does not make a judgment on the quality of your writing. This ranking number indicates the ease with which someone else can read your document. The readability score is an assigned ranking to your document. This can help you determine whether your word choices and sentence structures are appropriate for the intended audience.
If you are using apps like Google Docs or Microsoft Word to create your documents, you have the ability to generate a readability score for your document. This idea is where a readability score ranking enters the picture.
In other words, the type of language in use needs to match the intended audience’s ability to comprehend it. But you’ll want to use simpler and more explanatory language in a document clients will read. When explaining a business concept, it’s acceptable to use jargon and acronyms in a document that coworkers will read. When creating a document for others to read, you want to make sure you’re presenting the information in an easy-to-understand manner.