hardertoread
HarderToRead is a term used to describe written content that is more difficult for readers to process than standard or expected. In typography and readability research, it may refer to text with higher cognitive load or perceptual difficulty, due to factors such as complex sentence structure, specialized or abstract vocabulary, dense information packaging, or poor typographic choices.
Common factors include long sentences, nested clauses, low-frequency words, high syllable-to-word ratio, nominalizations, high lexical density,
HarderToRead is used to analyze the accessibility of writing and to guide editorial and design decisions aimed
Interventions commonly recommended include simplifying syntax, using short sentences, replacing jargon with plain language, increasing typographic
Some projects or datasets may label texts by their relative difficulty, categorizing segments as easy, intermediate,
HarderToRead thus functions as a descriptor within broader discussions of readability, typography, and inclusive design.
See also: readability, legibility, typographic accessibility, plain language.