1. What is the Gunning Fog Index?

The Gunning Fog Index is a readability test designed to estimate the years of formal education needed to understand a text on first reading. It was developed by Robert Gunning in 1952 and is commonly used in publishing, education, and communication fields.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Gunning Fog formula:

Where:

• \( \text{words} \) — Total number of words in the text
• \( \text{sentences} \) — Total number of sentences
• \( \text{complex words} \) — Words with three or more syllables (excluding proper nouns, familiar jargon, or compound words)

Explanation: The index combines average sentence length with the percentage of complex words to estimate reading difficulty.

3. Importance of Readability Scores

Details: Readability scores help writers tailor their content to the intended audience. A score of 12 requires high school level reading ability, while 17 requires college graduate level.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Count words, sentences, and complex words (3+ syllables) in your text. Enter these values to get the readability score. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good Gunning Fog score?
A: For general audiences, aim for 7-8. Technical documents may score 12-15. Scores above 17 are very difficult to read.

Q2: How does this compare to other readability tests?
A: Similar to Flesch-Kincaid but more sensitive to complex words. It tends to give slightly higher grade levels than other tests.

Q3: What counts as a complex word?
A: Words with three or more syllables, excluding proper nouns, familiar jargon, or compound words.

Q4: Can I use this for non-English texts?
A: The formula was designed for English. While it may work for similar languages, results may not be accurate.

Q5: How can I improve my score?
A: Use shorter sentences and replace complex words with simpler synonyms where possible.