Avoid Jargon and Write Clearly: a Recipe for Changing the World

By Mary Ann Hogan

"There's a great power in words," said the 19th-century humorist Josh Billings, "if you don't hitch too many of them together."

If Mr. Billings were around today, he would love the Flesch score.

The Flesch score — also known as the Flesch Reading Ease scale — is found on most Microsoft toolbars. It tells you how readable something is. It works on a scale of 0-100. The more readable a piece of text, the higher the score. If used right, it might just change