Readability
How to check readability in Word
By Ben Long
Need to increase the readability score of your writing? This article will show you how to check it in Word for Microsoft 365, in Word for macOS, and in older Windows versions like Word 2016 and Word 2013. We'll break it down into easy steps.
Before we get started, it's helpful to understand what readability is and how Microsoft Word checks it. In essence, readability is a measurement of how easy it is to read and understand a given text. When readability is high, your text is clear and simple to understand. Microsoft Word checks readability using both the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test as well as the Flesch Reading Ease test.
How to check readability in Microsoft 365
- Begin by opening your Word document
- Select the Home tab from the top menu
- Choose Editor, then click on Document stats
- A pop-up window will appear letting you know that Microsoft is calculating readability stats for you. Click OK
- Once it's finished calculating, Word will open a new window showing the reading level of your document.
Note: Microsoft 365 uses the slower Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, which can take several minutes to calculate for a long documents.
How to check readability for MacOS
- Begin with an open Word document
- In the browser toolbar, click on Word and then select Preferences
- Select Spelling & Grammar
- Under the Grammar heading, select "Check grammar with spelling" and "Show readability statistics"
- Back in your Word document, choose Review and then Spelling & Grammar
- After you finish correcting/ignoring any spelling or grammar issues, Word will reveal the readability level of your document in a new window.
Note: Microsoft 365 uses the slower Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, which can take several minutes to calculate for long documents.
How to check readability statistics in Word 2013, Word 2016, and other older versions
Note:
- Click File and then Options
- Choose Proofing from the left bar
- Under the "When correcting spelling and grammar in Word" section, toggle both the "Check grammar with spelling" and "Show readability statistics" buttons
- After returning to your document, select Spelling & Grammar. You can also hit F7 to start it.
- Make any desired spelling and grammar corrections. Once you finish, Word will open a Readability window displaying the readability score for your document.
Note: Microsoft 365 uses the slower Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, which can take several minutes to calculate for long documents.
How does Microsoft Word calculate readability with the Flesch Reading Ease Test?
The Flesch Reading Ease test stands out as a leading readability checker. It scores documents on a scale from 0 to 100. A high score indicates that your text is clear and straightforward, while a low score suggests it’s a challenging read. For most people, scores between 60 and 70 are ideal.
This test measures readability using two key elements: average sentence length (ASL) and syllables per word (ASW). Using these pieces, it calculates a clear score through this simple formula:
206.835 – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW)
How does Microsoft Word calculate readability with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test?
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test is a powerful readability tool. Its simple scoring gives you insight into your document's complexity. For example, if your text scores a 9, it means someone needs a 9th-grade education to grasp it easily.
Don’t underestimate the importance of a low readability score. The average adult in the United States reads at an 8th-grade level. This means, when aiming for a general audience, an 8th-grade target is crucial. By keeping your score at or below it, you'll ensure more readers can understand your text and connect with your message.
Using the average sentence length (ASL) and average number of syllables per word (ASW), Flesch-Kincaid checks grade level with this formula:
(.39 x ASL) + (11.8 x ASW) – 15.59
What are the drawbacks of checking readability scores in Microsoft Word?
While the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test and the Flesch Reading Ease score tests found in Microsoft Word are popular, they have some drawbacks. Both tests require precise calculations for the number of syllables in each sentence of your document. While it sounds simple, this causes big problems.
Consider the word "fire," for example. Many people pronounce it as a single syllable, like "fyre." In other regions, people pronounce both syllables distinctly as "fi-er." This same problem is true for countless other words in the English language. Because of this, two people could use the same readability formula on the same document but come up with different results.
The problem is even bigger for computers. Since they can't sound out the words like a human, they have to look up each individual word from a list of syllable counts. As you can imagine, this type of calculation becomes quite cumbersome with a larger document. In fact, there are times when it takes several minutes to calculate one score.
Now, imagine you want to edit your document to lower your readability score. Using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test or Flesch Reading ease score in Microsoft Word, it's incredibly cumbersome. Instead of seeing the results of each individual change, your only option is to make many changes and hope they work out.
What's the fastest way to find the readability score of my writing?
Hemingway Editor's free online readability checker is a faster and easier option than Microsoft Word. It provides both the overall readability score of your document and highlights your most complicated sentences. And unlike the cumbersome tools in Microsoft Word, it updates in real time. This makes it much easier to edit your document to lower the readability score because you can see the effects of each change.
FAQ
How to check readability statistics for Word?
Follow the guidelines above for precise instructions to check readability scores for Microsoft 365, Word 2013, Word 2016 and Word for macOS.
What is readability?
Readability is a measure of the difficulty of reading and understanding a piece of writing. High readability generally means that your text is simpler and easier to understand.
How to lower the readability score of my writing?
First, check the readability score of your writing using a tool like Hemingway's free online readability checker. Then, replace complicated words and jargon with simpler synonyms. Also, break down long, complicated sentences into a series of shorter sentences that contain one idea each.
What are the most popular readability checking formulas?
Alongside the Flesch Reading Ease test, there are many other popular readability scoring systems. Some of the top alternatives include the Gunning-Fog, SMOG, and the Automated Readability Index.