How to use the Readability Report
The Readability Report evaluates how easy your paragraphs are to read. It gives you a short overview of readability along with grades, using trusted readability scales, including Flesch-Kincaid and Coleman-Liau.
How to run the Readability Report
If you’re using the Web Editor, under the “Reports” toolbar, click on “More Reports.” We have highlighted this in red in the image below.
In the drop-down menu, click “Readability.”
If you’re using a ProWritingAid integration, hover over the floating ProWritingAid icon. Click on “Reports,” then click on “Readability” to open the drop-down menu. Finally, click on “Readability” inside the drop-down menu.
To help you find it, here is an image of the “Readability” icon below.
The Readability Report will run. Under the title “Readability,” you will see a list that shows:
- The estimated reading time of the text.
- An overview of how easy the document is to read.
- How many paragraphs are easy to read. The report will underline these paragraphs in green in the text.
- How many paragraphs are slightly difficult to read. The report will underline these paragraphs in yellow in the text.
- How many paragraphs are very difficult to read. The report will underline these paragraphs in red in the text.
We have shown this list and how the report works in the image below.
Click on the overview of how easy the document is to read to see a list of scores and grades for Flesch Reading Ease, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade, the Coleman-Liau Index, and the Automated Readability Index.
What is Flesch Reading Ease?
Flesch Reading Ease is related to the Flesch-Kincaid Grade. Flesch Reading Ease gives texts a score from 1 to 100, with 100 being the best readability.
What is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade?
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade is a readability tool. Rudolf Flesch and J. Peter Kincaid created the tool to test readability for the U.S. Navy. Flesch-Kincaid Grade gives texts a score from 0 to 18, with 0 being the easiest readability. The scores match grade levels, so a Flesch-Kincaid Grade 8 means the text is readable for a U.S. school Grade 8 or above reader.
What is the Coleman-Liau Index?
The Coleman-Liau Index is a readability test developed by Meri Coleman and T.L. Liau. It gives a score from 0 to 17, with 0 being the easiest readability. Like the Flesch-Kincaid Grade, the scores aim to match U.S. school grade levels.
What is the Automated Readability Index?
The Automated Readability Index is a readability test developed by E.A. Smith and R.J. Senter. It gives a score from 0 to 14, with 0 being the easiest readability. Its scores also aim to match U.S. school grade levels.
How to jump to each listed paragraph in your text
Click on each type of readability difficulty in the list. Then hover over the starting words of each paragraph listed to select from a small icon menu as shown in the image below.
Click on the eye icon to hide underlining for this type of paragraph. You can click on it again to show the underlining again.
Click on the arrow to jump to this paragraph in your text.
How to use the analysis in the Readability Report
The Readability Report scores are based on factors such as sentence length, vocabulary, syllable count, and character count. The report will help you spot paragraphs and passages that are difficult to read. It doesn’t provide suggestions for rewriting paragraphs, but you can try editing them to make improvements.
Readability matters because you don’t want your writing to get in the way of your story or characterization. Using the Readability Report can help you work out what needs extra polish to keep your writing crystalline. You can even use Sparks to edit your writing to improve readability.
ProWritingAid is more than just an editing assistant; we’re here to help you bring your story to life. Unlock your story’s full potential with our in-depth writing reports, actionable feedback, and more.