FleschKincaidlæsbarhedsindekset

The Flesch-Kincaid readability tests are a pair of tests designed to indicate how difficult a passage in English is to understand. They are a combination of the Flesch Reading Ease test and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test. Developed by Rudolf Flesch and J. Peter Kincaid, these tests are widely used in education and publishing.

The Flesch Reading Ease test scores text on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating easier readability. It is calculated based on the average sentence length and the average number of syllables per word. A higher score suggests that the text is more accessible to a wider audience.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, on the other hand, estimates the U.S. school grade level required to understand the text. This is also calculated using average sentence length and average syllables per word, but the formula is adjusted to produce a grade level equivalent. For example, a score of 8.0 would mean that an average 8th grader could understand the text.

Both tests are primarily quantitative tools, relying on statistical analysis of linguistic features. They do not assess the complexity of ideas or the logical structure of arguments, focusing instead on the surface-level features of the text. While they are useful for identifying potentially difficult passages, they should be used in conjunction with human judgment to assess true readability and comprehension.