Text evaluation: either an entire document or a sampling of 100 words
Parameters:
(1) total number of words
(2) total number of syllables
(3) total number of sentences
average sentence length =
= (total number of words) / (number of sentences)
average number of syllables per word =
= (total number of syllables) / (total number of words)
score =
= 206.835 - (1.015 * (average sentence length)) - (84.6 * (average number of syllables))
where:
• In the original paper the total number of syllables in 100 words is used, but the multiplication factor is 0.846.
• An average of 2 or more syllables per word is usually considered difficult text.
• Instructions for counting sentences in a 100 word selection are given in Step 4, page 229 of the original paper. A sentence is a unit of thought and may be ended by a colon, semicolon or period.
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 100
• The higher the score the easier the text is to read. A score of 100 indicates that the text is very easy to read. A score of 0 indicates that the text is very difficult to read.
