Harry Potter vs Shakespeare: How Readable is Your Writing?
So, you got yourself a Copyscape Premium report. It's negative, but in the world of plagiarism, that's a good news, isn't it? Great! What' next? Grammarly is all green about your new text. That's even better. You aren't going to embarrass yourself with your new article's grammar or spelling mistakes. Groovy! Where's the third musketeer? Ah, here it is. Keyword density report says that you have all the right words in the right places. Awesome! Wait, Alexandre Dumas would like to use this opportunity to remind us that there's supposed to be the fourth musketeer. Who could that be?
All mushrooms are edible, but some only once in a lifetime!
Let's apply this lovely mushroom poisoning advice to copywriting, shall we? All articles/post are readable, but some articles/posts are readable more than others. How? Why? Well, you've probably met the fourth writing musketeer called - readability, without knowing it. This is why, you feel like you just had a glass of an excellent wine, after you're done reading an article. You can't just have enough of it. And, this is why, you have digestion problems, after you're done reading another article. You definitely don't want to read it again. Readability is to blame.
So, what's this thing called readability and why it is so important? Well, as soon as you write an article or a post, it becomes readable. The catch is to make it be very simple to read and understand. Here's what you can do right now. Spend some time writing and once you're done use this link:
Readability | The Writer
It's called the readability checker. Or, you can use this one, as well:
The Free Readability Test Tool - Readable
My word of advice, use the Writer's Readability Checker. Here's their readability comparison table. Just have a quick look.
The Readability Border between the Financial Times and BBC News
You don't have to be a rock star copywriter to figure out what this readability table is all about, do you? These numbers say it all you need to know about readability. Although, they may sound great, important and impressive, you don't want to find yourself in the readability zone of Harvard Law Review, Mr. William Shakespeare and The Financial Times. So, it turns out that the BBC News Website is the border between desirable and enjoyable readability score, on the one side, and what-is-the-poet-trying-to-say, on the other side, of our readability rainbow. If you can match many of Obama's speeches with the readability score of at least 65, then you know a thing or two about good readability. The Writer's website itself claims you will hardly a single piece of writing on their web pages, which has a readability score less than 70.
The Magic Readability Land of Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss
So, when the Writer's Readability Checker says that your readability matches Harry Potter, then you know you wrote something really amazing. We're talking about the readability score of 80. That's something special and unique. Don't forget, only comic books can claim the readability score between 90 and 100. No wonder, top readability scores are reserved for kids. If they can read and understand it, then you don't have the right to complain. I wanted to know if it's possible to reach the absolute readability. This is supposed to be the absolute score of 100. Right?
Well, it turned out that there was a guy who reached the incredible readability score of 120. I mean, even if you don't put a single letter in the Writer's Readability Checker, you won't be able to match the absolute 100. So, how in the world you can reach the 120 readability score? Well, I encourage you to see for yourself. Just copy/paste some of Dr. Seuss' work and see how it works in the Writer's Readability Checker. I don't recall if it was 110 or 102, but I'm quite sure Dr. Seuss doesn't know what it means to have a readability score less than 100 or 105. Do you think it is to write? OK, it is. You can write right now whatever you like. Do you think it is to get a good readability score? Well, why don't you try it right now?
More Readable = More Likeable
As simple as that. If you want people to like, comment and share your writing, then you have to think twice about every single word you're about to use. Not to mention long and complex sentences, which are the most effective readability killers. Well, you can't become new Dr. Seuss, but you certainly can avoid the Shakespeare's black readability zone. Stay with me for a moment or two more, and I will share my readability score with you fair and square.
It says 70. Honestly, I'm a little bit disappointed. I wanted to show off with the Harry Potter result. I've written so many pages, but only a handful had the Harry Potter's readability magic. To be even more honest, I'm happy to match the readability standards of the so-called "Many of Obama's Speeches." Even the Writer's Readability Checker advises me quite often to get anywhere between 60 and 65. Wait, I added some additional text. I will try it one more time. Maybe, my readability score has improved a little bit in the meantime.
Oh dear, it says 69.5, that's why I'm going to stop right here and now checking my readability. When it comes to your expectations, my dear readers, if you want some of Harry Potter style, then you'll have to wait for me to rewrite the whole thing all over again. Maybe, some other time, but not right now. If you're eager to comment about readability, then you're encouraged to test your writing before posting it. The more you write, the harder it will become to match my score. Have to try this Readability Checker one last time, but I'm not going to share my results with you. A little bit of Harry Potter privacy. I deserve it.
All mushrooms are edible, but some only once in a lifetime!
Let's apply this lovely mushroom poisoning advice to copywriting, shall we? All articles/post are readable, but some articles/posts are readable more than others. How? Why? Well, you've probably met the fourth writing musketeer called - readability, without knowing it. This is why, you feel like you just had a glass of an excellent wine, after you're done reading an article. You can't just have enough of it. And, this is why, you have digestion problems, after you're done reading another article. You definitely don't want to read it again. Readability is to blame.
So, what's this thing called readability and why it is so important? Well, as soon as you write an article or a post, it becomes readable. The catch is to make it be very simple to read and understand. Here's what you can do right now. Spend some time writing and once you're done use this link:
Readability | The Writer
It's called the readability checker. Or, you can use this one, as well:
The Free Readability Test Tool - Readable
My word of advice, use the Writer's Readability Checker. Here's their readability comparison table. Just have a quick look.
The Readability Border between the Financial Times and BBC News
You don't have to be a rock star copywriter to figure out what this readability table is all about, do you? These numbers say it all you need to know about readability. Although, they may sound great, important and impressive, you don't want to find yourself in the readability zone of Harvard Law Review, Mr. William Shakespeare and The Financial Times. So, it turns out that the BBC News Website is the border between desirable and enjoyable readability score, on the one side, and what-is-the-poet-trying-to-say, on the other side, of our readability rainbow. If you can match many of Obama's speeches with the readability score of at least 65, then you know a thing or two about good readability. The Writer's website itself claims you will hardly a single piece of writing on their web pages, which has a readability score less than 70.
The Magic Readability Land of Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss
So, when the Writer's Readability Checker says that your readability matches Harry Potter, then you know you wrote something really amazing. We're talking about the readability score of 80. That's something special and unique. Don't forget, only comic books can claim the readability score between 90 and 100. No wonder, top readability scores are reserved for kids. If they can read and understand it, then you don't have the right to complain. I wanted to know if it's possible to reach the absolute readability. This is supposed to be the absolute score of 100. Right?
Well, it turned out that there was a guy who reached the incredible readability score of 120. I mean, even if you don't put a single letter in the Writer's Readability Checker, you won't be able to match the absolute 100. So, how in the world you can reach the 120 readability score? Well, I encourage you to see for yourself. Just copy/paste some of Dr. Seuss' work and see how it works in the Writer's Readability Checker. I don't recall if it was 110 or 102, but I'm quite sure Dr. Seuss doesn't know what it means to have a readability score less than 100 or 105. Do you think it is to write? OK, it is. You can write right now whatever you like. Do you think it is to get a good readability score? Well, why don't you try it right now?
More Readable = More Likeable
As simple as that. If you want people to like, comment and share your writing, then you have to think twice about every single word you're about to use. Not to mention long and complex sentences, which are the most effective readability killers. Well, you can't become new Dr. Seuss, but you certainly can avoid the Shakespeare's black readability zone. Stay with me for a moment or two more, and I will share my readability score with you fair and square.
It says 70. Honestly, I'm a little bit disappointed. I wanted to show off with the Harry Potter result. I've written so many pages, but only a handful had the Harry Potter's readability magic. To be even more honest, I'm happy to match the readability standards of the so-called "Many of Obama's Speeches." Even the Writer's Readability Checker advises me quite often to get anywhere between 60 and 65. Wait, I added some additional text. I will try it one more time. Maybe, my readability score has improved a little bit in the meantime.
Oh dear, it says 69.5, that's why I'm going to stop right here and now checking my readability. When it comes to your expectations, my dear readers, if you want some of Harry Potter style, then you'll have to wait for me to rewrite the whole thing all over again. Maybe, some other time, but not right now. If you're eager to comment about readability, then you're encouraged to test your writing before posting it. The more you write, the harder it will become to match my score. Have to try this Readability Checker one last time, but I'm not going to share my results with you. A little bit of Harry Potter privacy. I deserve it.