For the current text of the “Clear Helper” Web site home page, I conducted the Juicy Studio Readability Test. Results from the readability test’s automatic calculation were significantly different from those derived from my manual calculation. I don’t know how to account for this. It makes me distrust the test.
Automatic Summary Results
I submitted the URL of the Clear Helper home page. A summary of reading level results was produced.
| Total sentences | 59 |
| Total words | 370 |
| Average words per Sentence | 6.27 |
| Words with 1 Syllable | 211 |
| Words with 2 Syllables | 66 |
| Words with 3 Syllables | 47 |
| Words with 4 or more Syllables | 46 |
| Percentage of word with three or more syllables | 25.14% |
| Average Syllables per Word | 1.81 |
| Gunning Fog Index | 12.56 |
| Flesch Reading Ease | 47.73 |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade | 8.16 |
Note the last three results. They indicate that someone with almost 13 years of education or someone in the eighth grade could understand the current text of the Clear Helper home page. The Flesch Reading Ease scorer of 47.73 falls below the ideal of 60 – 70.
These scores and their indications are worse than those I determined by following Juicy Studio’s instructions on how to calculate the scores manually.
Gunning-Fog Index: Manual Calculations
- This test “… is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content.”
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I added the average number of words per sentence (6.27) to the number of words with three or more syllables (93) and multiplied the total by .04. Score = 4.
- This indicates a fourth-grader would be able to understand the home page text.
- Note: I think there is an error in Juicy Studio’s instructions. It first says to use the percentage of 3-syllable words but, in the formula, indicates the number of 3-syllable words should be used. Calculating the formula with the percentage produced a score of 1. Because it seemed quite unreasonable that a first-grader could read the home page text, I instead calculated the formula using the number of 3-syllable words.
- This indicates a fourth-grader would be able to understand the home page text.
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I added the average number of words per sentence (6.27) to the number of words with three or more syllables (93) and multiplied the total by .04. Score = 4.
Flesch Reading Ease: Manual Calculations
- For this test, “… the higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document.” The ideal score is 60 to 70.
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I subtracted the sum (153.126) of 84.6 multiplied by the average number of syllables per word (1.81) from the sum (6.36405) of 1.015 multiplied by the average number of words per sentence (6.27). Result = -146. 76195. I then subtracted this result from 206.835 to achieve a score of 60.
- The score of 60 falls within the ideal range.
- Note: In calculating the score, I had to change the negative result number (-146. 76195) to a positive number. It was the only way to produce a reasonable result.
- The score of 60 falls within the ideal range.
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I subtracted the sum (153.126) of 84.6 multiplied by the average number of syllables per word (1.81) from the sum (6.36405) of 1.015 multiplied by the average number of words per sentence (6.27). Result = -146. 76195. I then subtracted this result from 206.835 to achieve a score of 60.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: Manual Calculations
- This test “… is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content.”
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I multiplied the average number of words per sentence (6.27) by 0.39 and added its sum (0.24453) to the sum (21.358) of the average number of syllables per word (1.81) multiplied by 11.8. Result = 21.60253. I then subtracted 15.50 from the result. Score = 6.
- This indicates the home page text requires a sixth-grade education to understand.
- To calculate this score, as instructed, I multiplied the average number of words per sentence (6.27) by 0.39 and added its sum (0.24453) to the sum (21.358) of the average number of syllables per word (1.81) multiplied by 11.8. Result = 21.60253. I then subtracted 15.50 from the result. Score = 6.
Conclusions & Speculation
The results from the manual calculations indicate someone with a fourth- to sixth grade education should understand the home page text, and that its readability falls within the ideal scale. This is significantly better than the results and the indications of the readability test’s automatic calculations.
I wonder if the different results are due to the consequence of following contradictory- and confusing instructions about how to perform the manual calculations. Perhaps the errors are mine.
I will have to revisit this at a later date.