humanreadability

Humanreadability is the ease with which a reader can recognize, process, and understand written text. The concept covers language clarity, logical structure, and how visual presentation supports comprehension. It applies to a broad audience and contrasts with machine readability, which measures whether software can parse the text.

Key factors include vocabulary familiarity, sentence length, syntax, and cohesion, as well as typography, line length, white space, and contrast. Content structure matters too: clear topic sentences, logical order, and signposts help readers anticipate what comes next. Reader background—education, language proficiency, and purpose—also shapes readability.

Common measures of readability are formulas such as Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, SMOG, and Gunning Fog. They estimate ease or required education level but have limitations; they focus on surface features and do not assess actual understanding or engagement.

To improve readability, use plain language, shorter sentences, concrete nouns, active voice, and consistent terminology. Organize text with clear headings and short paragraphs; apply a logical flow and explicit transitions. Ensure accessible typography and layout for broad audiences.

Applications include education, journalism, government communication, and user documentation. Readability should be matched to the audience and purpose, and may be supported by reader testing and revision beyond formula scores.