Automated readability index: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:41, 4 November 2008

Latest revision as of 14:32, 15 March 2025

(97 intermediate revisions by 72 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{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

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

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

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

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

#: <math>

\mbox{ARI} =

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

The output approximates the minimum [[Education in the United States#School grades|grade level]] needed to comprehend the text. A score of 8.2, for instance, should easily be understood by the average 14-year-old (8th grade typically aged between 13-14 in the States).

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

This is really not that important. You're just wasting your time. Stop burning daylight! With all the time you spent reading this, I could have come up with a working solution to Global Warming. Good job, you idiot!! Your family must be ashamed of you... Oh well. The world goes on...even with stupid idiots like you in it.

==References==

{{reflist}}

*{{cite journal

| author = Senter, R.J.

| coauthors author2= Smith, E.A.

| yeardate = November 1967

| title = Automated Readability Index.

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

| url = http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0667273

|pages= 1–14

| accessdate = 2008-01-10

| 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"

==External links==

|Score

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

|Age

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

|Grade Level

|-

|1

|5-6

|Kindergarten

|-

|2

|6-7

|First Grade

|-

|3

|7-8

|Second Grade

|-

|4

|8-9

|Third Grade

|-

|5

|9-10

|Fourth Grade

|-

|6

|10-11

|Fifth Grade

|-

|7

|11-12

|Sixth Grade

|-

|8

|12-13

|Seventh Grade

|-

|9

|13-14

|Eighth Grade

|-

|10

|14-15

|Ninth Grade

|-

|11

|15-16

|Tenth Grade

|-

|12

|16-17

|Eleventh Grade

|-

|13

|17-18

|Twelfth Grade

|-

|14

|18-22

|College student

|}

==Notes==

[[Category:Readability tests]]

<references/>

[[da:LIX]]

[[no:Lesbarhetsindeks]]

{{Readability tests}}

[[sv:LIX]]

[[Category:Readability tests]]