8 Readability Web Tools to Test Your Writing Quality

Understanding and Improving Readability

Readability refers to how easily writing can be read and comprehended. Since the inception of the World Wide Web and the proliferation of HTML pages, readability has become increasingly crucial.

Web users can encounter webpages tailored for a ten-year-old's understanding, or conversely, access highly complex academic papers like those authored by Stephen Hawking.

Information is only valuable if it can be understood. This is where readability web tools for webpages become essential.

How Readability is Measured

According to Wikipedia, readability is assessed using specific formulas. These formulas correlate with the reading level of the intended audience. While not definitive, they provide a general indication of a text's reading friendliness. If you're unfamiliar with the science of readability, the Wikipedia article serves as an excellent starting point.

Microsoft Word includes a built-in readability analysis feature, utilizing scales like the Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. However, analyzing webpages directly within Word can be challenging. This is where dedicated readability web tools prove beneficial, often providing a wider range of readability scores.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article notes that many successful contemporary authors, including John Grisham, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Dan Brown, typically write at a 7th-grade reading level.

How does your writing compare? Consider utilizing these eight online tools to evaluate your work against established readability metrics.

Eight Online Readability Testing Tools

The Readability Test Tool

Simply provide the Readability Test Tool with a webpage address, and it will analyze the text using common indicators such as Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Score, Coleman Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index (ARI).

The tool offers four input methods: using a URL, directly pasting the text, adding a referral link, or utilizing a browser bookmarklet.

The tests are straightforward to understand, with explanations provided for each score.

Juicy Studio's Readability Test

Enter a webpage link into the designated field on Juicy Studio's site to test readability. The service explains the meaning of the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, and the Gunning Fog Score.

Because this test relies on a URL rather than direct text input, results may be slightly inaccurate for graphic-heavy webpages. Interpreting the scores can be a little more difficult as it doesn't directly correlate readability ease with a specific age group. However, the explanations provided for each score are helpful.

Online-utility.org

Online-utility.org offers a suite of free tools, including a readability calculator. This tool assesses four measures: Coleman Liau index, Flesh Kincaid Grade Level, ARI (Automated Readability Index) and SMOG.

Copy and paste your text to receive the scores. The results also highlight sentences that could be restructured for improved readability.

Readability.info

Readability.info analyzes text from both URLs and MS Word Documents. It provides measures like Coleman Liau index, Flesh Kincaid Grade Level, ARI (Automated Readability Index), SMOG, Fog Index and Lix formula. It also provides word usage counts, which can help identify overuse of specific parts of speech.

A link at the bottom of the page leads to readability scores for several popular websites.

Text Content Analysis Tool

This tool provides statistics related to word count, unique words, sentence count, average words per sentence, lexical density, and the Gunning Fog readability index.

With a free registration, you gain access to the Advanced Text Analyzer tool, allowing you to submit texts exceeding 10,000 words, utilize a Graded Text Analysis Tool, and generate a sortable word frequency list.

Even without registration, the word frequency cloud is a useful feature for visualizing your most frequently used words.

Lexicool Textalyser

Paste your content into the form field and click "Go" to obtain readability statistics. You can also enter a URL for webpage analysis.

The tool analyzes word groups in detail, particularly regarding the density of specific words. It can be configured to examine the text for particular words or phrases, making it useful for basic keyword analysis. The site currently lacks detailed explanations, but states they are forthcoming.

WordsCount

This tool features a simple text field and submit button. WordsCount also provides three additional measuring indices not found in the other services: Spache Index, Dale-Chall Index and Dale-Chall Grade.

The site also includes a syllable counter, which uses a dictionary to determine word lengths and claims to be more accurate.

SMOG Readability Calculator

This calculator is based on a single measurement index called Simple Measure of Gobbledygook. This is the actual name, and it measures the years of education required to fully understand a piece of writing. The calculator is provided by the test's developer, G. Harry McLaughlin.

The web form has a word limit of 2000 words and does not include a URL checker. It appears to function as an interface, as the "Calculate" button redirects the analysis to the WordsCount website.

These free web services can not only help us refine our web writing but also potentially improve a website’s search engine ranking. Readability is directly linked to SEO, as readers are more likely to stay engaged with content they can easily understand.

Do you meticulously refine your writing, or do you rely on your intuition? Are readability analyses worthwhile, or do you trust your gut feeling?

Image credit: Luis De Bethencourt