WordPress.org

Author: John Watson

Shows readability of the post currently being edited using three different readability measurements and also includes a word and sentence count.

Readability analysis is an attempt to show how difficult a text is to read. There are several methods of doing readability analysis. The most popular methods are used here. The Flesch and Flesch-Kincaid methods use formulas based on the average number of words per sentence and the average number of syllables per word. The Gunning-Fog method uses a formula based on the average number of words per sentence and the percentage of “hard” words (words with 3 or more syllables) in the passage.

Both the Gunning-Fog and the Flesch-Kincaid give a score that is the number of years of education the reader must have completed to understand the text. Different types of writing calls for different scores. Technical subjects may require a higher level of education so a higher Fog or Kincaid score is acceptable. Informal writing may try for a score in the 7-10 range. The Flesch score is a percentage. The higher the value, the better the readability.