Gulpease

Gulpease, or indice Gulpease, is a readability metric used in the Italian language to estimate how easily a text can be understood by readers. It is designed to reflect the relative ease for Italian readers and is commonly used by educators, editors, and publishers to assess or adapt material for different audiences, including school curricula, government communications, and public information.

The score is derived from quantitative features of the text gathered in a simple computation and places the result on a 0 to 100 scale, with higher values indicating easier reading. In practice, texts intended for younger audiences or lay readers receive higher Gulpease scores, while more technical or specialized texts yield lower scores. The index is language-specific and takes Italian typographic and linguistic features into account, such as typical word length and sentence structure, to reflect how Italian readers process the text.

While useful for quick assessment, the Gulpease index has limitations. It does not measure content quality, organization, or prior knowledge required, and its interpretation can vary with genre and audience. It also depends on accurate sentence and word counts, and can be affected by irregular punctuation or typographical choices.

The Gulpease index is one of several readability formulas used in Italian; it is part of broader efforts to promote accessible information and inclusive communication. For practical use, many style guides and software include a Gulpease option to help writers tailor texts to their intended readership.