What Writers Need to Know About Readability ▬ Medium

What Writers Need to Know About Readability
Do we need to “dumb” it down? The simple answer is “YES”

Readability

Medium: 7.31.2020 by Melissa Gouty

Bow To the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Score

I know you’ve heard of it. The Flesch-Kincaid Readability test determines the education level needed to understand the text. By counting the number of words, sentences, syllables, and then “weighting” them, the F-K test scores writing. The formula looks like this:

0.39 (total words divided by total sentences)
+ 11.8 (total syllables divided by total words)
— 15.59.

I’m no mathematician, so I have no earthly idea of how the numbers of 0.39, 11.8, and 15.59 were determined. I don’t even understand how they determined the need to ADD the two sides of the equation together or SUBTRACT 15.59 from the grand total.

Here’s what I DO know:

The requirements are the same for every copywriting job I’ve had.

“Write at the sixth grade level.”

I have to wonder why I went to school all those years to learn how to write. Now I know that I could have become a professional writer back at Clarksville Middle School at the age of eleven instead of waiting until I was in my sixties.

Why write at the sixth-grade level?

● Modern readers spend less time reading and more time scanning than ever before. One study suggests that most readers read only 20% of the words on any given page. Think of that. If you write 1000 words in a post, most readers will only look at about 200 non-sequential words.

● The simpler the sentences, the more likely they are to be absorbed.

● The simpler the vocabulary, the more likely they are to be understood.

● The average American reads between the 8th and 9th-grade level. Studies show that people prefer to read two grades below their ability.

● Speed is what matters. People want to consume information as fast as possible, a task made possible by simple, easy-to-consume words.

● Intelligence has nothing to do with simplicity. It’s about pace and efficiency. Even the smartest people want to consume information quickly.

Is writing to a lower grade-level going to have long-term effects?

If we write like we talk, well, you know what happens…

READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 6

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 10-11 yrs. olds

(Fifth and Sixth graders)