Table 2.

Descriptions of the Seven Independent Readability Formulas Used to Evaluate Handouts in the Current Study

Readability Assessment	Formula	Description
Flesch–Kincaid grade level	(0.39 × B) + (11.8 × W) – 15.59	B = mean number of syllables per word W = mean number of words per sentence
Flesch Reading Ease	206.835 – (1.015 × W) – (84.6 × B)	B = mean number of syllables per word W = mean number of words per sentence
Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) Index	1.043 × √(P × 30) + 3.1291	P = number of words with ≥3 syllables S = number of sentences
Coleman–Liau	(0.0588 × L) – (0.296 × T) – 15.8	L = mean number of letters/word T = mean number of sentences/100 words
Gunning Fog	0.4 × (W/S + 100 – P/W)	S = mean number of sentences W = mean number of words/sentence P = mean number of words with ≥3 syllables
Automated Readability Index	4.71 (characters/words) + 0.5 (words/sentences) – 21.43
Linsear Write	No formula—calculates the U.S. grade level of a text sample based on sentence length and the number of words with 3 or more syllables.