1. What is the Gunning Fog Index?

The Gunning Fog Index is a readability test that estimates the years of formal education needed to understand a text on first reading. It considers both sentence length and word complexity.

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 increases with longer sentences and higher percentage of complex words.

3. Importance of Readability Scores

Details: Readability scores help writers tailor their content to the intended audience. A score of 12 requires a high school education, while 17+ requires graduate-level education.

4. Using the Calculator

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

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a good Gunning Fog score?
A: For general audiences, aim for 7-10. Technical documents may score 12-15. Scores above 16 are very difficult to read.

Q2: How does this compare to Flesch-Kincaid?
A: Both measure readability but Gunning Fog emphasizes complex words more, while Flesch-Kincaid focuses on syllables per word.

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. Other languages may require different readability metrics.

Q5: How accurate is automated counting?
A: Manual counting is most accurate, especially for complex words. Automated tools may miscount syllables.