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Flesch–Kincaid readability tests

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842:"But I had seen first one and then another of the rooms in which I had slept during my life, and in the end I would revisit them all in the long course of my waking dream: rooms in winter, where on going to bed I would at once bury my head in a nest, built up out of the most diverse materials, the corner of my pillow, the top of my blankets, a piece of a shawl, the edge of my bed, and a copy of an evening paper, all of which things I would contrive, with the infinite patience of birds building their nests, to cement into one whole; rooms where, in a keen frost, I would feel the satisfaction of being shut in from the outer world (like the sea-swallow which builds at the end of a dark tunnel and is kept warm by the surrounding earth), and where, the fire keeping in all night, I would sleep wrapped up, as it were, in a great cloak of snug and savoury air, shot with the glow of the logs which would break out again in flame: in a sort of alcove without walls, a cave of warmth dug out of the heart of the room itself, a zone of heat whose boundaries were constantly shifting and altering in temperature as gusts of air ran across them to strike freshly upon my face, from the corners of the room, or from parts near the window or far from the fireplace which had therefore remained cold—or rooms in summer, where I would delight to feel myself a part of the warm evening, where the moonlight striking upon the half-opened shutters would throw down to the foot of my bed its enchanted ladder; where I would fall asleep, as it might be in the open air, like a titmouse which the breeze keeps poised in the focus of a sunbeam—or sometimes the Louis XVI room, so cheerful that I could never feel really unhappy, even on my first night in it: that room where the slender columns which lightly supported its ceiling would part, ever so gracefully, to indicate where the bed was and to keep it separate; sometimes again that little room with the high ceiling, hollowed in the form of a pyramid out of two separate storeys, and partly walled with mahogany, in which from the first moment my mind was drugged by the unfamiliar scent of flowering grasses, convinced of the hostility of the violet curtains and of the insolent indifference of a clock that chattered on at the top of its voice as though I were not there; while a strange and pitiless mirror with square feet, which stood across one corner of the room, cleared for itself a site I had not looked to find tenanted in the quiet surroundings of my normal field of vision: that room in which my mind, forcing itself for hours on end to leave its moorings, to elongate itself upwards so as to take on the exact shape of the room, and to reach to the summit of that monstrous funnel, had passed so many anxious nights while my body lay stretched out in bed, my eyes staring upwards, my ears straining, my nostrils sniffing uneasily, and my heart beating; until custom had changed the colour of the curtains, made the clock keep quiet, brought an expression of pity to the cruel, slanting face of the glass, disguised or even completely dispelled the scent of flowering grasses, and distinctly reduced the apparent loftiness of the ceiling." 817:"Though amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship’s decks, like hungry dogs round a table where red meat is being carved, ready to bolt down every killed man that is tossed to them; and though, while the valiant butchers over the deck-table are thus cannibally carving each other’s live meat with carving-knives all gilded and tasselled, the sharks, also, with their jewel-hilted mouths, are quarrelsomely carving away under the table at the dead meat; and though, were you to turn the whole affair upside down, it would still be pretty much the same thing, that is to say, a shocking sharkish business enough for all parties; and though sharks also are the invariable outriders of all slave ships crossing the Atlantic, systematically trotting alongside, to be handy in case a parcel is to be carried anywhere, or a dead slave to be decently buried; and though one or two other like instances might be set down, touching the set terms, places, and occasions, when sharks do most socially congregate, and most hilariously feast; yet is there no conceivable time or occasion when you will find them in such countless numbers, and in gayer or more jovial spirits, than around a dead sperm whale, moored by night to a whaleship at sea." 95: 36: 371:
score as low as wanted by arbitrarily including words with many syllables. The sentence "This sentence, taken as a reading passage unto itself, is being used to prove a point." has a readability of 69. The sentence "The Australian platypus is seemingly a hybrid of a mammal and reptilian creature." scores 37.5 as it has 24 syllables and 13 words. While
439:, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts. It can also mean the number of years of education generally required to understand this text, relevant when the formula results in a number greater than 10. The grade level is calculated with the following formula: 239: 515: 370:
has a general readability score in the low 30s. The highest (easiest) readability score possible is 121.22, but only if every sentence consists of only one-syllable words. "The cat sat on the mat." scores 116. The score does not have a theoretical lower bound; therefore, it is possible to make the
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in 1975 by J. Peter Kincaid and his team. Related U.S. Navy research directed by Kincaid delved into high-tech education (for example, the electronic authoring and delivery of technical information), usefulness of the Flesch–Kincaid readability formula, computer aids for editing tests, illustrated
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Kincaid, J.P., Fishburne, R.P., Rogers, R.L., & Chissom, B.S. (1975). Derivation of new readability formulas (automated readability index, fog count, and flesch reading ease formula) for Navy enlisted personnel. Research Branch Report 8–75. Chief of Naval Technical Training: Naval Air Station
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scoring system mean that the two schemes are not directly comparable and cannot be converted. The grade level formula emphasizes sentence length over word length. By creating one-word strings with hundreds of random characters, grade levels may be attained that are hundreds of times larger than
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The result is a number that corresponds with a U.S. grade level. The sentence, "The Australian platypus is seemingly a hybrid of a mammal and reptilian creature" is an 11.3 as it has 24 syllables and 13 words. The different weighting factors for words per sentence and syllables per word in each
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As readability formulas were developed for school books, they demonstrate weaknesses compared to directly testing usability with typical readers. They neglect between-reader differences and effects of content, layout and retrieval aids.
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is to understand. There are two tests: the Flesch Reading-Ease, and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level. Although they use the same core measures (word length and sentence length), they have different weighting factors.
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In the Flesch reading-ease test, higher scores indicate material that is easier to read; lower numbers mark passages that are more difficult to read. The formula for the Flesch reading-ease score (FRES) test is:
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The lowest grade level score in theory is −3.40 (belonging to the passage "Go. See. Stop. Rest." for example), but there are few real passages in which every sentence consists of a single one-syllable word.
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level (14–15 years of age) of reading difficulty, as measured by the F–K formula. This is now a common requirement in many other states and for other legal documents such as insurance policies.
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uses the reading ease test as the standard test of readability for its documents and forms. Florida requires that insurance policies have a Flesch reading ease score of 45 or greater.
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The results of the two tests correlate approximately inversely: a text with a comparatively high score on the Reading Ease test should have a lower score on the Grade-Level test.
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as 57.9, one particularly long sentence about sharks in chapter 64 has a readability score of −146.77. One sentence in the beginning of Scott Moncrieff's English translation of
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magazine scores about 52, an average grade six student's written assignment (age of 12) has a readability index of 60–70 (and a reading grade level of six to seven), and the
870: 234:{\displaystyle 206.835-1.015\left({\frac {\text{total words}}{\text{total sentences}}}\right)-84.6\left({\frac {\text{total syllables}}{\text{total words}}}\right)} 510:{\displaystyle 0.39\left({\frac {\mbox{total words}}{\mbox{total sentences}}}\right)+11.8\left({\frac {\mbox{total syllables}}{\mbox{total words}}}\right)-15.59} 1044: 934: 761: 907:"Derivation of new readability formulas (Automated Readability Index, Fog Count and Flesch Reading Ease Formula) for Navy enlisted personnel" 98:
Graphs of Flesch-Kincaid reading ease (red) and grade level (gray) scores against average syllables per word and average words per sentence
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These readability tests are used extensively in the field of education. The "Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula" presents a score as a
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comes close, averaging 5.7 words per sentence and 1.02 syllables per word, with a grade level of −1.3. (Most of the 50 used words are
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completion in the United States. Due to the formula's construction, the score does not have an upper bound.
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Research Branch Report 8-75, Millington, TN: Naval Technical Training, U. S. Naval Air Station, Memphis, TN
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McClure G (1987). "Readability formulas: Useful or useless. (an interview with J. Peter Kincaid.)".
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Kincaid JP, Braby R, Mears J (1988). "Electronic authoring and delivery of technical information".
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Braby R, Kincaid JP, Scott P, McDaniel W (1982). "Illustrated formats to teach procedures".
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Polysyllabic words affect this score significantly more than they do the grade-level score.
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Melville, Herman. "Chapter 64: Stubb's Supper." Moby-Dick. Lit2Go Edition. 1851. Web. <
397: 1176: 1143: 953: 747:(also reported in Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 11, 1982, pp. 106–107.) 360: 119: 742: 703: 649: 611: 854: 138:"The Flesch–Kincaid" (F–K) reading grade level was developed under contract to the 150:
for assessing the difficulty of technical manuals in 1978 and soon after became a
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formats to teach procedures, and the Computer Readability Editing System (CRES).
1119: 1064: 1022: 836: 560: 521: 413: 159: 989:, Paterson DG (October 1951). "Simplification of Flesch Reading Ease Formula". 906: 663:
Kincaid JP, Braby R, Wulfeck WH II (1983). "Computer aids for editing tests".
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Very easy to read. Easily understood by an average 11-year-old student.
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Extremely difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates.
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Readability formulas have even more limitations than Klare discusses
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http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/42/moby-dick/745/chapter-64-stubbs-supper/
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Use of this scale is so ubiquitous that it is bundled with popular
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Very difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates.
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Plain English. Easily understood by 13- to 15-year-old students.
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devised the Reading Ease evaluation; somewhat later, he and
905:, Fishburne RP Jr, Rogers RL, Chissom BS (February 1975). 1019:, lists Flesch–Kincaid scores of Project Gutenberg books 154:. Pennsylvania was the first U.S. state to require that 243:
Scores can be interpreted as shown in the table below.
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Kincaid JP, Aagard JA, O'Hara JW, Cottrell LK (1981).
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Easy to read. Conversational English for consumers.
835:2004. Translated by C.K. Scott Moncrieff (1922). 509: 233: 793:"Book Lies: Readability is Impossible to Measure" 110:designed to indicate how difficult a passage in 1112: 723:IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 684:IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 630:IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 856:A statistical model for scientific readability 358:magazine has a readability index of about 65, 1038: 623: 621: 126:developed the Grade Level evaluation for the 8: 755: 753: 853:Luo Si; et al. (November 5–10, 2001). 387:, by Marcel Proust, has a score of −515.1. 1045: 1031: 1023: 891:"Readable Language in Insurance Policies" 483: 455: 446: 217: 193: 178: 80:Learn how and when to remove this message 1107: 245: 158:policies be written at no higher than a 93: 956:(1948). "A new readability yardstick". 923:from the original on December 10, 2020. 572: 146:The F–K formula was first used by the 719:"Computer Readability Editing System" 27:Indicator for the complexity of texts 7: 1063:Tests and formulas that measure the 592:Journal of Instructional Development 25: 1103:Flesch–Kincaid readability tests 104:Flesch–Kincaid readability tests 34: 828:Proust, Marcel. "Swann's Way." 152:United States Military Standard 18:Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test 1097:Dale–Chall readability formula 400:programs and services such as 391:The U.S. Department of Defense 1: 991:Journal of Applied Psychology 958:Journal of Applied Psychology 859:. Atlanta, GA, USA: CIKM '01. 791:Gabe Habash (July 20, 2011). 871:"Florida Statute § 627.4145" 762:"How to Write Plain English" 1149:Raygor readability estimate 1080:Automated readability index 60:the claims made and adding 1204: 1161:Spache readability formula 1113:Flesch–Kincaid grade level 431:Flesch–Kincaid grade level 314:Fairly difficult to read. 1075: 1061: 1017:readability.mackayst.com 766:University of Canterbury 735:10.1109/TPC.1981.6447821 696:10.1109/TPC.1982.6447756 642:10.1109/TPC.1987.6449109 1126:Fry readability formula 375:calculates the text of 831:In Search of Lost Time 813:>. August 16, 2013. 665:Educational Technology 511: 235: 99: 512: 410:Microsoft Office Word 292:Fairly easy to read. 236: 97: 445: 300:8th & 9th grade 177: 156:automobile insurance 1108:Flesch reading ease 325:Difficult to read. 311:10th to 12th grade 166:Flesch reading ease 1188:1975 introductions 1091:Coleman–Liau index 839:. March 21, 2014. 604:10.1007/bf02904998 531:Green Eggs and Ham 507: 494: 489: 466: 461: 406:IBM Lotus Symphony 367:Harvard Law Review 231: 128:United States Navy 100: 45:possibly contains 1183:Readability tests 1170: 1169: 1132:Gunning fog index 1054:Readability tests 495: 493: 488: 467: 465: 460: 351: 350: 333:College graduate 225: 224: 221: 201: 200: 197: 108:readability tests 90: 89: 82: 47:original research 16:(Redirected from 1195: 1047: 1040: 1033: 1024: 1006: 1003:10.1037/h0062427 981: 970:10.1037/h0057532 940: 931: 925: 924: 922: 911: 899: 893: 888: 882: 881: 879: 877: 867: 861: 860: 850: 844: 826: 820: 807: 801: 800: 799:on May 21, 2014. 795:. Archived from 788: 782: 781: 779: 777: 772:on July 12, 2016 768:. Archived from 760:Flesch, Rudolf. 757: 748: 746: 714: 708: 707: 679: 673: 672: 660: 654: 653: 625: 616: 615: 587: 581: 577: 516: 514: 513: 508: 500: 496: 491: 486: 484: 472: 468: 463: 458: 456: 437:U.S. grade level 246: 240: 238: 237: 232: 230: 226: 222: 219: 218: 206: 202: 198: 195: 194: 124:J. Peter Kincaid 85: 78: 74: 71: 65: 62:inline citations 38: 37: 30: 21: 1203: 1202: 1198: 1197: 1196: 1194: 1193: 1192: 1173: 1172: 1171: 1166: 1071: 1057: 1051: 1013: 984: 952: 949: 947:Further reading 944: 943: 932: 928: 920: 909: 901: 900: 896: 889: 885: 875: 873: 869: 868: 864: 852: 851: 847: 843: 841: 840: 827: 823: 819: 815: 814: 808: 804: 790: 789: 785: 775: 773: 759: 758: 751: 716: 715: 711: 681: 680: 676: 662: 661: 657: 627: 626: 619: 589: 588: 584: 578: 574: 569: 557: 548: 487:total syllables 479: 464:total sentences 451: 443: 442: 433: 398:word processing 355:Reader's Digest 220:total syllables 213: 199:total sentences 189: 175: 174: 168: 136: 86: 75: 69: 66: 51: 39: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1201: 1199: 1191: 1190: 1185: 1175: 1174: 1168: 1167: 1165: 1164: 1158: 1152: 1146: 1141: 1135: 1129: 1123: 1117: 1116: 1115: 1110: 1100: 1094: 1088: 1083: 1076: 1073: 1072: 1062: 1059: 1058: 1052: 1050: 1049: 1042: 1035: 1027: 1021: 1020: 1012: 1011:External links 1009: 1008: 1007: 997:(5): 333–337. 982: 964:(3): 221–233. 948: 945: 942: 941: 926: 894: 883: 862: 845: 821: 802: 783: 749: 709: 674: 655: 617: 582: 571: 570: 568: 565: 564: 563: 556: 553: 547: 544: 506: 503: 499: 482: 478: 475: 471: 454: 450: 432: 429: 349: 348: 345: 342: 338: 337: 334: 331: 327: 326: 323: 320: 316: 315: 312: 309: 305: 304: 301: 298: 294: 293: 290: 287: 283: 282: 279: 276: 272: 271: 268: 265: 261: 260: 257: 252:School level ( 250: 229: 216: 212: 209: 205: 192: 188: 185: 182: 167: 164: 135: 132: 88: 87: 42: 40: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1200: 1189: 1186: 1184: 1181: 1180: 1178: 1162: 1159: 1156: 1153: 1150: 1147: 1145: 1144:Linsear Write 1142: 1139: 1136: 1133: 1130: 1127: 1124: 1121: 1118: 1114: 1111: 1109: 1106: 1105: 1104: 1101: 1098: 1095: 1092: 1089: 1087: 1084: 1081: 1078: 1077: 1074: 1070: 1066: 1060: 1055: 1048: 1043: 1041: 1036: 1034: 1029: 1028: 1025: 1018: 1015: 1014: 1010: 1004: 1000: 996: 992: 988: 983: 979: 975: 971: 967: 963: 959: 955: 951: 950: 946: 938: 937: 930: 927: 919: 915: 908: 904: 898: 895: 892: 887: 884: 872: 866: 863: 858: 857: 849: 846: 838: 834: 832: 825: 822: 818: 812: 806: 803: 798: 794: 787: 784: 771: 767: 763: 756: 754: 750: 744: 740: 736: 732: 728: 724: 720: 713: 710: 705: 701: 697: 693: 689: 685: 678: 675: 670: 666: 659: 656: 651: 647: 643: 639: 635: 631: 624: 622: 618: 613: 609: 605: 601: 597: 593: 586: 583: 576: 573: 566: 562: 559: 558: 554: 552: 545: 543: 541: 537: 533: 532: 525: 523: 517: 504: 501: 497: 480: 476: 473: 469: 452: 448: 440: 438: 430: 428: 425: 423: 419: 415: 411: 407: 403: 399: 394: 392: 388: 386: 385: 380: 379: 374: 369: 368: 363: 362: 357: 356: 346: 344:Professional 343: 340: 339: 335: 332: 329: 328: 324: 321: 318: 317: 313: 310: 307: 306: 302: 299: 296: 295: 291: 288: 285: 284: 280: 277: 274: 273: 269: 266: 264:100.00–90.00 263: 262: 258: 255: 251: 248: 247: 244: 241: 227: 214: 210: 207: 203: 190: 186: 183: 180: 172: 165: 163: 161: 157: 153: 149: 144: 141: 133: 131: 129: 125: 121: 120:Rudolf Flesch 116: 113: 109: 105: 96: 92: 84: 81: 73: 63: 59: 55: 49: 48: 43:This article 41: 32: 31: 19: 1102: 994: 990: 961: 957: 935: 929: 913: 897: 886: 874:. 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Index

Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
original research
improve it
verifying
inline citations
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readability tests
English
Rudolf Flesch
J. Peter Kincaid
United States Navy
U.S. Navy
Army
United States Military Standard
automobile insurance
ninth-grade
US
Reader's Digest
Time
Harvard Law Review
Amazon
Moby-Dick
Swann's Way
The U.S. Department of Defense
word processing
KWord
IBM Lotus Symphony
Microsoft Office Word
WordPerfect

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