Articles
14 articles on readability scoring, editorial tactics, and writing for clarity.
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Readability and Accessibility: WCAG Compliance, Screen Readers, and Readability Formulas
How readability formulas align with WCAG standards. Optimize for both human readers and screen-reader users with evidence-based techniques.
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Jargon Detection and One-Syllable Substitutes: A Practical Readability Editing System
Learn to detect jargon and replace it with one-syllable words to improve readability without losing credibility. Real examples from healthcare, legal, and SaaS.
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Readability for Government and Plain-Language Compliance: Meeting Federal and Accessibility Standards
Meet Plain Writing Act and WCAG standards. Learn which readability formulas government agencies use, target grade levels, and how to audit compliance.
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Readability for B2B SaaS Marketing: How to Balance Conversion Clarity with Brand Authority
How B2B SaaS marketers use readability scores to boost conversion without losing credibility. Grade 8–10 targeting explained.
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Sentence Length vs Reading Ease: How to Cut Words Without Losing Authority
Shorter sentences lower your Flesch-Kincaid grade but can sound juvenile. Here's how to cut a 35-word sentence to 18 without losing authority.
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Which Readability Formula to Use for Which Context: A Decision Framework for Writers and Editors
Match the right readability formula to your genre: healthcare, government, SaaS, technical docs. Compare Flesch, SMOG, Gunning Fog, ARI with decision criteria.
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Syllable Counting Errors That Wreck Your Readability Score
Why syllable miscounts tank your grade-level scores. Fix technical terms, hyphenated words, and silent syllables—boost accuracy in Flesch-Kincaid and SMOG.
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Active vs Passive Voice: Testing Whether Voice Really Changes Your Grade Level
Does active voice actually lower your Flesch-Kincaid grade? We tested 40 passages. See quantified impact and when passive voice won't hurt your score.
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Grammarly vs ProWritingAid Readability Tools
Head-to-head comparison: formula accuracy, reporting detail, and industry fit. Which tool delivers better readability feedback for your writing type?
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Readability for SEO: Does Google Care About Grade Level?
What Google actually ranks for readability, which formulas matter for SEO, and how to balance grade level with keyword authority.
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Why Coleman-Liau Works Where Flesch-Kincaid Fails: A Syllable-Free Alternative
Flesch-Kincaid counts syllables—and English syllables are ambiguous. See how the Coleman-Liau index skips them to give a steadier readability grade.
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SMOG Index Explained: When and Why It Beats Flesch-Kincaid
Learn why SMOG outperforms Flesch-Kincaid for medical content. See the formula, real healthcare text examples, and when to rely on SMOG over FK scoring.
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Readability for Technical Documentation: Why Grade Level Isn't the Goal
Technical docs need a different readability strategy: prioritize clarity over grade, use SMOG for compliance docs, and test with actual users.
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Why a grade-level score isn't the same as a reading level
Every readability formula returns a 'grade level' — and almost everyone misreads what that number means. Here's the actual definition and what to do about it.