Choose simple language

Whenever possible, avoid jargon or complicated vocabulary.

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Last updated 3 years ago

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Choose simple language

Whenever possible, avoid jargon or complicated vocabulary.

Seek clarity, not complexity

We are often conditioned to think that information that is more complex is better--but it just makes your information harder to read. Nobel Prize Laureate and writer of Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw, once said:

‘‘In literature, the ambition of a novice is to acquire the literary language; the struggle of the adept is to get rid of it.’’

Consider writing level

Write for your audience, whoever they are. The average American is only able to read at a 7th- to 8th-grade level, but that does not necessarily mean everything should be written for an 8th grader. The most shareable content is easy to read and novel--so keep it as simple as you can while still serving your audience.

💡 GRIDBit: Sometimes text seems more complex just because of length. War and Peace, a generally regarded difficult read, ranks just above an 8th-grade level.

Some tools to consider based on your target audience reading level include:

Note: There are significantly more readability tests than the ones listed here.

Law school professor Joseph Kimble has two helpful lists of "inflated words," along with their "plain" counterparts:

Remember grammar

It is easy to forget best practices when one is not regularly being evaluated. Refresh yourself on basic grammar, or have a colleague or friend proofread for you.

References

PreviousAddress audiences separately NextConsider reading patterns

Last updated 3 years ago

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