We can dissect the term “readability” into “read” + “ability,” which translates into
the ability to read. Readability has nothing to do with either legibility or literacy. In fact,
readability is more of a judgmental exercise for the targeted audience. George Klare
(1963) defines readability as “the ease of understanding or comprehension due to the style
of writing.” We can consider readability as a measure of the accessibility of a text or the
associated page layout, indicating how effectively it will reach the target audience.
We can assess readability through readability tests by applying readability formulas.
Readability formulas are mathematical in nature; its primary aim is to measure the grade
level a person must have to read and comprehend a text. Writers consider readability
formulas as simple ways to judge read-ability, i.e., the level of difficulty of a text.
Readability formulas work by measuring certain features of a text based on
mathematical calculations. We base these readability measures on a handful of factors,
like the number of words in a sentence, as well as the number of letters or syllables per
word. Most readability formulas are based on one semantic factor, i.e., the difficulty of
words, and one syntactic factor, i.e., the difficulty of sentences. We don’t need to
calculate other factors, as they tend to make the formulas more complex and achieve little
in return.
Another startling fact about these formulas is that you don’t need readers to read
out (or try to read out) the text. However, readability formulas don’t always work with
100% accuracy.
Importance of Readability Formulas
It requires a great deal of effort to come up with some kind of text. This text may be
unique in its contents, yet it fails to serve its purpose of making the reader understand and
use it. The problem many writers face is how to assess the ‘readability’ of their text.
Readability formulas offer the solution. By applying these scientific and mathematical
principles, the readability formulas aim to present an objective analysis about the
readability of a particular text.
Commonly used Readability Formulas
Researchers and writers have been using readability formulas since 1920 and, over
the years, they have spent a lot of time devising the most accurate and scientific formulas
to assess readability. Some of the popular and commonly used formulas include:
1. Rudolph Flesch’s Reading Ease Formula;
2. Flesch’s Grade Level;
3. J. Peter Kinkaid’s Flesch-Kinkaid Index;
4. Robert Gunning’s Fog Index;
5. The SMOG Readability Formula;
6. Fry’s Readability Graph;
7. New Dale-Chall formula;
8. Powers-Sumner-Kear Readability Formula;
9. FORCAST readability formula; and
10. Spache readability formula.
The underlying message of each formula is the same: if you use shorter, average
sentence lengths and fewer big-lettered words, you can reduce the reading level and
increase the speed and ease of reading.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for Literacy News and a writing tutor for Writing Answers.
