Automated readability index: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Type of readability test for English texts}}

The '''Automated Readability Index (ARI)''' is a [[readability test]] designed to gauge the understandability of a text. Like the [[Flesch-Kincaid]] Grade Level, [[Gunning-Fog Index]], [[SMOG Index]], [[Fry Readability Formula]], and [[Coleman-Liau Index]], its output is an approximate representation of the U.S. grade level needed to comprehend the text.

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2015}}

The '''automated readability index''' ('''ARI''') is a [[readability test]] for [[English language|English]] texts, designed to gauge the understandability of a text. Like the [[Flesch–Kincaid readability test|Flesch–Kincaid]] grade level, [[Gunning fog index]], [[SMOG index]], [[Fry readability formula]], and [[Coleman–Liau index]], it produces an approximate representation of the [[Grade levels#USA and Canada|US grade level]] needed to comprehend the text.

The formula for calculating the automated readability index is given below:

Unlike the other indices, the ARI, along with the Coleman-Liau, relies on a factor of characters per word, instead of the usual syllables per word. Although opinion varies on its accuracy as compared to the syllables/word and complex words indices, characters/word is often easier to calculate, as the number of characters is more readily and accurately counted by computer programs than syllables.

:<math>

==Formula==

4.71 \left (\frac{\mbox{characters}}{\mbox{words}} \right) + 0.5 \left (\frac{\mbox{words}}{\mbox{sentences}} \right) - 21.43

</math>

where ''characters'' is the number of letters and numbers, ''words'' is the number of spaces, and ''sentences'' is the number of sentences, which were counted manually by the typist when the above formula was developed. Non-integer scores are always rounded up to the nearest whole number, so a score of 10.1 or 10.6 would be converted to 11.

To calculate the '''Automated Readability Index''':

Unlike the other indices, the ARI, along with the Coleman–Liau, relies on a factor of characters per word, instead of the usual syllables per word. Although opinion varies on its accuracy as compared to the syllables/word and complex words indices, characters/word is often faster to calculate, as the number of characters is more readily and accurately counted by computer programs than syllables. In fact, this index was designed for real-time monitoring of readability on electric typewriters.<ref>{{cite journal

# Divide the number of characters by the number of words, and multiply by 4.71.

| author = Senter, R.J.

# Divide the number of words by the number of sentences, and multiply by 0.5.

|author2= Smith, E.A.

# Add #1 and #2 together, and subtract 21.43.

| date = November 1967

| title = Automated Readability Index.

|journal= Amrl-Tr. Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories (U.s.)

|pages= 1–14

| url = https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD667273.pdf

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130408131249/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD0667273

| url-status = live

| archive-date = April 8, 2013

| publisher = [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]

| id = AMRL-TR-6620

|pmid= 5302480

| access-date = 2012-03-18

}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"

:: <math>

|Score

ARI =

|Age

4.71 \left ( \frac{\mbox{characters}}{\mbox{words}} \right ) + 0.5 \left ( \frac{\mbox{words}}{\mbox{sentence}} \right ) - 21.43

|Grade Level

</math>

The output approximates the minimum grade level needed to comprehend the text. A score of 8.2, for instance, should easily be understood by the average 14-year-old.

==US School Grade and Ages==

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"

|-

|1

!Level/Grade !! Typical age

|5-6

|- style="background:silver;"

|Kindergarten

| colspan=2 | [[Nursery school|Preschool]]

|-

|2

| Various optional programs, such as [[Head Start]]|| Under 6

|6-7

|First Grade

|-

|3

|[[Pre-Kindergarten]] || 4-5

|7-8

|Second Grade

|-

|4

| [[Kindergarten]] || 5-6

|8-9

|- style="background:silver;"

|Third Grade

| colspan=2 | [[Elementary School]]

|-

| [[First grade|1st Grade]] || 6–7

|-

|5

| [[Second grade|2nd Grade]] || 7–8

|9-10

|Fourth Grade

|-

|6

| [[Third grade|3rd Grade]] || 8–9

|10-11

|Fifth Grade

|-

|7

| [[Fourth grade|4th Grade]] || 9–10

|11-12

|Sixth Grade

|-

|8

| [[Fifth grade|5th Grade]] || 10–11

|12-13

|Seventh Grade

|-

|9

|- style="background:silver;"

|13-14

| colspan=2 | [[Middle School]]

|Eighth Grade

|-

|10

| [[Sixth grade|6th Grade]] || 11–12

|14-15

|Ninth Grade

|-

|11

| [[Seventh grade|7th Grade]] || 12–13

|15-16

|Tenth Grade

|-

|12

| [[Eighth grade|8th Grade]] || 13–14

|16-17

|- style="background:silver;"

|Eleventh Grade

| colspan=2 | [[Secondary education in the United States|High school]]

|-

|13

| [[Ninth grade|9th Grade (senior 1)]] (Freshman) || 14-15

|17-18

|Twelfth Grade

| [[Tenth grade|10th Grade (senior 2)]] (Sophomore) || 15-16

|-

| [[Eleventh grade|11th Grade (senior 3)]] (Junior) || 16-17

|-

| [[Twelfth grade|12th Grade (senior 4)]] (Senior) || 17–18

|- style="background:silver;"

| colspan=2 | [[Post-secondary education]]

|-

| [[Tertiary education]] ([[College]] or [[University]]) || ages vary (usually four years, <br> referred to as Freshman,<br> Sophomore, Junior and <br>Senior years)

|-

| [[Vocational education]] || ages vary

|- style="background:silver;"

| colspan=2 | [[Graduate education]]

|- style="background:silver;"

| colspan=2 | [[Adult education]]

|-

|14

|18-22

|College student

|}

==External linksNotes==

*[http://www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jsp Online readability tests] - finds ARI and other indices, suggestions how to improve readability

*[http://www.editcentral.com Readability calculators] - six readability statistics

<references/>

[[Category:Readability tests]]

{{Readability tests}}

[[da:LIX]]

[[no:Lesbarhetsindeks]]

[[Category:Readability tests]]

[[sv:LIX]]