As a writer, you've probably heard about readability formulas with strange names such as Flesch-Kincaid or Dale-Chall. Did you know that you can use readability analysis to improve your books or articles?
In this article we'll talk about readability formulas, why they are important for writers, and how to choose cost-effective readability software.
Readability Formulas: What are They?
Readability is a measure of how easy an article or document is to read.
Readability formulas are mathematical formulas which calculate how easy or difficult a document is to read. No single readability test applies to all texts. Rather, each test is designed for a specific type of text and/or a specific type of audience.
For example, there are specific tests for:
· Assessing the suitability of a book for students at a particular grade level · Assessing the difficulty of a technical document · Assessing the suitability of a text for an English as a second language learner
Readability formulas differ in the features that they consider in their analysis. However, common parameters include:
· Average sentence length · Average word length in characters · Average word length in syllables · Ratio of difficult words · Ratio of difficult sentences · Ratio of unfamiliar words · Number of unique words
These readability tests have been proven to correlate with ease of reading for the specific audience the test targets.
Why is Readability Important for Writers?
In answering this question, let’s consider two types of writers: those that target children or young adults, and those that target adults.
* Writers Targeting Children or Young Adults
If you are targeting children or young adults, readability analysis should be a key component of your editing program. Books or articles targeting these age groups must contain language (both words and structures) that is suitable for your chosen audience.
Ignoring readability may lead to a fast trip to the rejection pile!
Luckily, there are several readability formulas specifically targeted to analyzing text for children and young adults. Three of the most popular are:
· New Dale-Chall · Powers, Sumner, Kearl · Spache (Revised)
* Writers Targeting Adults
Readability analysis can also be a key component for writers targeting the adult market as it provides yet another window onto your text.
Use readability analysis to consider:
· Does your book or article have a readability level suitable for your target audience? · If you're seeking publication: Does your book or article have a similar readability score to other books published by your target publisher?
Let’s consider each of these in turn.
** Readability level of your book or article
Although most of your readers will be high school graduates, it would be a mistake to aim for a readability of Grade Twelve or higher. In fact, most popular writing targets a much lower grade level. Here are some examples.
Grade Level Examples 6 TV Guides, The Bible, Mark Twain 8 Reader’s Digest 8-10 Most popular novels 10 Time, Newsweek 11 Wall Street Journal 14 The Times, The Guardian 15-20 Academic papers Over 20 Only government websites can get away with this, because you can’t ignore them.
Choose the grade level most appropriate for your content and audience.
** Readability level of your target publisher
You might also want to consider the readability level of the books that your preferred publisher is producing. Ensuring your novel has a similar reading level is one more way you can make certain your manuscript fits with their line.
This is not as difficult as it sounds. Many publishers include excerpts of their recent releases on their websites. You can easily cut and paste the text into a readability analysis tool to determine the grade level.
Analyzing Readability
Readability formulas are tedious to calculate by hand, since it involves counting words, syllables, sentence length, etc. Fortunately, there are many online tools that will calculate readability scores for you. Keep the following factors in mind when you select a tool to use.
Does the tool provide results for more than one test?
-- Getting results form several tests provides a greater insight into your document.
Does the tool include the tests that are most suitable for your target audience?
-- The tool you use should give you guidance on which tests are most appropriate for your target audience.
Does the software give you a visual display of your text so you can see the more difficult sections?
-- This functionality is key for writers so they know which areas to focus on.
Is the tool created by someone who understands the challenges of processing language?
-- Many of the free tools are created by computer geeks who don’t understand the challenges of processing human language. Test them out on the following sentence. If they count two sentences (because of the period after ‘Mrs’, don’t use the software.
John saw Mrs. Jones in the park.
Is the tool reasonably priced?
--Free tools are pretty much useless for the serious writer. However good readability software starts at around $40. Well worth the investment!
Which is the best software to choose? I'm biased since I created the Readability Suite on AutoCrit.com. To make your own decision, google the term 'readability software' and take it from there.
In sum, readability analysis can be a powerful tool in your arsenal of writing skills. Try it out and see for yourself!