How Readable is My Writing?
After you have decided what needs to be written and then actually written it, how do you know how readable it is? There is an easy way to get an idea using MS Word.
I suggest that you use a word processing program, i.e. MS Word. Write out your content, revise it, reread it the next day, reduce it by 50%, then reduce it some more. The purpose is not to get it small, but to get it succinct and vigorous. (Vigorous — refer to the left sidebar).
When your writing is polished and while you are still in MS Word, you can get a calculated idea of the grade level of your writing.
Initial Setup
- In the Menu Bar, click on Tools
- Click on Spelling and Grammar
- Click on Options
- Set the Show readability statistics checkbox to checked
Finding the Grade Level
Run the Spelling and Grammer check (F7, maybe). When the checking is complete the readability statistics will be displayed. The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Grade will be displayed at the bottom.
You should use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content. Many recommendations suggest that a high school level of reading is appropriate for most audiences.
Aiming for a low grade level does not mean that your writing needs to be "stupid". Most of the pages in this website are right around a 7th grade level. The grade level for this page is 7.7.
Finally, achieving a low grade level does not mean your writing is good: it is only a single indicator. Simple language is not useful if it is not also clear and meaningful.
References
For more information, or if you have any questions or comments, please contact me.
- 404-378-9493
- Steve at simplyFULL.com