Readability

How ScanGov measures the readability of your content.

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ScanGov measures how easy a page is to read with two public formulas:

• Automated Readability Index (ARI) estimates the U.S. grade level a reader needs. It uses letters per word and words per sentence.
• Flesch–Kincaid readability tests give a similar grade level. They use syllables per word and words per sentence.

Plain language helps people find answers and act on them. Readability is its own indicator with one check, reading level.

How a page passes

A page passes when its ARI, rounded to a whole number, is at or below your site's reading level target. The default target is grade 8. ScanGov does not score pages that are not in English or that have no text to measure. Those pages neither pass nor fail.

Set your target

Administrators can change the target for each site on the Settings page.

1. Open the site and select Settings.
2. Under Reading level, choose a grade.
3. Select Save.

Scores update a few minutes after you save. You do not need to rescan.

Review your pages

Open the Readability indicator, then select All URLs to see every page with its ARI and Flesch–Kincaid score. The ARI card comes first, because ARI decides pass or fail. Both cards show the average over all pages.

Try the free readability scan on any public page.

Features

• Readability