Readability
Definition: Readability measures the complexity of the words and sentence structure in a
piece of content. The assumption behind this metric is that complex sentences are harder
to parse and read than simpler ones. It’s usually reported as the reading level (stated as
years of formal education) needed to easily read the text. For example, a 12th grade reading
level means that somebody with a good high-school diploma will be able to read the text
without difficulty.
The main guidelines to ensure readability are:
• Use plainspoken words, the shorter the better. Avoid fancy words
and made-up terms.
• Use short sentences. Avoid convoluted sentence structures, especially
compound sentences with many subordinate clauses and conjunctions that
put a strain on users’ short-term memory, which is a notoriously weak
point. (That last sentence is already pushing it a little :-)
• Mainly write in an active voice. (Passive voice can be used in rare
circumstances when it allows frontloading of key terms.)
• Aim at an 8th-grade reading level if targeting a broad consumer audience.
• If writing for an educated or specialized B2B audience, it still targets a
reading level several steps below the audience’s formal-education level.
A 12th-grade reading level is often a good target to make text easy for
readers with college degrees. (The article you’re reading right now has an
11th-grade reading level, and I hope you find it readable.)
• Remember that writing at an Nth grade reading level is a different matter
than writing for students who’re currently attending school in that grade.
There are special design guidelines for targeting young kids, teenagers,
and millennials, and that’s not what we want on a mainstream website for
grownup users. We simply want words and sentences that correspond to
that level of educational achievement but written in a mature tone of voice.
Testing Readability
Readability is usually scored by computer. There are many readability calculators on the
web and a common formula is built into Microsoft Word: in Word 2013, the Flesch-Kincaid
reading level is available under Review > Spelling & Grammar. (In some versions of Word,
readability statistics must first be turned on under File > Options > Proofing.)
We actually have a slight preference for a different readability formula called the Fry score,
but it doesn’t really matter which formula you use. While there are many readability
formulas, they all focus mainly on the length of the words and the length of the sentences.
Longer words are usually less common in a language, and longer sentences are usually
harder to parse, so these types of metrics make sense. But remember that these counts are
only an approximation of what really matters: how hard it is for your readers to make
sense of the words and sentences that you use.
Reporting the reading level in terms of years of education is also only an approximation.
When we say that a reading level of 12 corresponds to a high-school diploma, that assumes
that the high-school graduate was diligent enough to study and master all the grade-level
materials and subjects. Many people get through high school despite having poor reading
skills, and they would struggle with a text that scored at a 12th-grade reading level.