Plain Language and Reading Level on Your Pages

Plain language is about the reader

Plain language does not mean simple ideas or childish writing. It means writing so that your intended readers can find what they need, understand it the first time, and act on it. A page full of specialist terms can be perfect for a professional audience and unusable for the general public, and the reverse can also be true.

So the question to ask of any page is not “is this easy?” but “is this right for the people who read it?”

Start by defining the audience

Write down who the page is for. Some useful questions:

• What do they already know about the topic?
• Why did they come, and what are they trying to do?
• Are they likely to be reading in a second language?
• Are they reading on a phone, in a hurry, or while stressed?

A page explaining a medical procedure for patients, for example, needs different wording from the same topic for clinicians. A page for hobbyists may use terms of the craft freely, while a page for newcomers to the same hobby should explain them. Misjudging the audience is the most common cause of text that “misses.”

What makes text hard to read

Several habits tend to raise the effort required:

• Long sentences with many clauses. A reader holds the start of the sentence in memory while waiting for the end.
• Jargon and unexplained abbreviations. Terms you use every day may be unfamiliar to your visitors.
• Abstract wording. “Utilize resources to facilitate outcomes” says less than “use tools to get the job done.”
• Passive, roundabout phrasing. “The form should be submitted by the applicant” is heavier than “Submit the form.”
• Dense blocks of text. Long paragraphs with no breaks discourage reading, especially on small screens.
• Buried points. The key information appears after several paragraphs of context.

None of these is wrong in itself. The test is whether they make your readers work harder than necessary.

Reading-level scores: useful but limited

Many writing tools produce a reading-level score based on factors such as sentence length and word length. These can be a rough warning light: a score suggesting very difficult text for a general-audience page is worth a second look.

But the scores have limits:

• They measure surface features, not clarity, accuracy or organization.
• Short words can still be confusing, and a longer word can be perfectly familiar to your audience.
• Different tools give different numbers for the same text.
• Chasing a number can lead to choppy, awkward writing.

Use scores as one input, not a target. A page aimed at a broad public audience is often easier to use when written in everyday vocabulary, but there is no single level that is correct for every site, and search engines have not published a rule that a certain score will improve results.

Practical ways to simplify

• Lead with the answer. Put the main point or instruction first and add detail after it.
• Use common words. Choose “use” over “utilize,” “start” over “commence,” and “help” over “facilitate,” where the simpler word is accurate.
• Break long sentences. If a sentence has more than one idea, consider splitting it.
• Use active voice where it makes the actor and action clear.
• Explain terms once. Define a necessary technical term the first time you use it. A short glossary may help for specialist topics.
• Use headings and short paragraphs so readers can find their place. Good heading structure helps people who scan.
• Give examples. A concrete case often clears up an abstract explanation. If you use numbers, label invented ones as examples.
• Prefer lists for steps, with one action per step.

Keep precision where it matters. In legal, financial or health content, simplifying must not make a statement inaccurate or leave out an important caution. When the nuance matters, explain it plainly rather than removing it.

Testing with real people

Tools only go so far. A few inexpensive tests give better evidence:

1. Read it aloud. Places where you run out of breath or stumble usually need editing.
2. Ask someone from the target audience to read the page and tell you in their own words what it says. Differences from your intended message show where it is unclear.
3. Watch someone use the page. Note where they pause, reread or scroll back.
4. Check the questions you receive. If customers keep asking something the page answers, the answer may be hard to find or hard to follow.

Even three or four people can reveal problems that you, as the author, cannot see.

Related considerations

Readable text is more than word choice. Poor color contrast, tiny fonts and cramped layouts make reading harder for everyone and especially for people with low vision. Alt text gives meaning to images for those who cannot see them. These accessibility checks work alongside plain language to make a page usable.

Plain language also supports content that search engines can interpret. Clear, direct statements about what a page covers make it easier to match the page to what people are looking for, though no wording can guarantee a result.

When complex language is appropriate

Some audiences expect specialist vocabulary: researchers, engineers, lawyers, or clinicians reading professional material. Dropping the technical terms may even reduce trust. The point is fit. If your audience is mixed, consider layered content: a plain summary at the top, with a more detailed technical section beneath it for those who want it.

A quick review routine

For each important page:

• Name the audience in a sentence.
• Read the first paragraph. Does it state what the page offers and what the reader should do?
• Scan for jargon, long sentences and dense paragraphs.
• Try a reading-level tool, but treat the number loosely.
• Ask one person from the audience to read it.
• Revise, then reread the finished page once more as a stranger would.