What Writers Need to Know About Readability

Do we need to “dumb” it down? The simple answer is “YES”

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The bestselling authors of our time are writing at the 4th-grade level.

Bow To the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Score

I know you’ve heard of it. The Flesch-Kincaid Readability test determines the education level needed to understand the text. By counting the number of words, sentences, syllables, and then “weighting” them, the F-K test scores writing. The formula looks like this:

0.39 (total words divided by total sentences) + 11.8 (total syllables divided by total words) — 15.59.

I’m no mathematician, so I have no earthly idea of how the numbers of 0.39, 11.8, and 15.59 were determined. I don’t even understand how they determined the need to ADD the two sides of the equation together or SUBTRACT 15.59 from the grand total.

Here’s what I DO know:

The requirements are the same for every copywriting job I’ve had.

“Write at the sixth grade level.”

I have to wonder why I went to school all those years to learn how to write. Now I know that I could have become a professional writer back at Clarksville…