SMOGindekset

SMOGindekset, also known as the SMOG index or SMOG formula, is a readability measure used to determine the years of education needed to understand a piece of writing. It was developed by G. Harry McLaughlin in the 1960s. The index is based on the number of polysyllabic words (words with three or more syllables) in a sample of text.

To calculate the SMOG index, a text is divided into sentences, and every third sentence is selected. The number of polysyllabic words in these selected sentences is counted. The formula for the SMOG index is:

SMOG index = 1.043 * sqrt(polysyllabic words * (30 / sentences)) + 3.1291

The result is an estimate of the years of education required to understand the text. For example, a SMOG index of 12 would suggest that a 12th-grade level is required to understand the text.

The SMOG index is widely used in various fields, including education, healthcare, and publishing, to assess the readability of documents. It is particularly useful for evaluating the complexity of technical and scientific texts. However, like any readability formula, the SMOG index has its limitations and should be used in conjunction with other measures to provide a comprehensive assessment of text readability.