Click the EDIT HARD WORDS button to underscore hard words in your text. A “hard” word is any word with 3 syllables or more. Of course, the English language has many multisyllabic words that readers find easy. But syllable count is the quickest and (more) accurate way to find most hard words. This method is also how readability formulas classify words as “easy” or “hard.”
We added the option to underscore hard words based on syllable count and word length: any word with 3+ syllables and 9+ letters. Based on research that longer words add more complexity, this option helps in finding “difficult” words.
The color of the underscore reveals the number of syllables:
Red: 7+ syllables
Blue: 6 syllables
Purple: 5 syllables
Green: 4 syllables
Tan: 3 syllables
In scoring readability, we don’t need to classify syllable counts above 3 syllables: the word is either “easy” (1-2 syllables) or “hard” (3+ syllables). But for the sake of editing, we liked using different colors to see syllable count.
The 3+syllable trigger also happens to underscore multisyllabic “easy” words. These are easy words made hard by the writer’s neglect or preference.
For example, smart writers prefer:
- “End” (1 syllable) and not “Terminate” (3 syllables)
- “Using” (2 syllable) and not “Utilizing” (4 syllables)
- “Thinking” (2 syllable) and not “Contemplating” (4 syllables)
- “Meet” (1 syllable) and not “Encounter” (3 syllables)
- “Check” (1 syllable) and not “Verify” (3 syllables)
- “Say” (1 syllable) and not “Articulate” (4 syllables)
- “Fix” (1 syllable) and not “Rectify” (3 syllables)
- “Need” (1 syllable) and not “Require” (3 syllables), etc.
These “harder” versions increase cognitive load and don’t add anything different.
You can fine-tune how the editor underscores hard words by clicking any of these options:
- Proper Nouns: 3+ syllable proper nouns are now easy words. (Proper nouns often refer to specific people, places, or organizations. Readers may already know them).
- Inflected Words: words that became hard words through inflections are easy again. Ex: “happiness” (hard word) → “happy” (easy word) | “sentences” (hard word) → “sentence” (easy word).
- Dale-Chall Words: any hard word on Dale-Chall’s 3000 word list is considered easy. (Average readers know most of these words)
- Common Sight Words: any hard word on Edward Fry’s 1000 common Sight Words list is now easy. (Young and adult readers recognize most of these words).
- Repeat Words: hard words that repeat are now easy. (Readers learn the hard word and can now understand it in the rest of the text.)
The editor will underscore “hard words turned easy” with pink dots.
As you review the underscored words, ask yourself, “Is this word familiar or unfamiliar to my readers?” If unfamiliar, then consider the word hard and replace it with a familiar word. Double-click on the word to get synonyms. Replace the hard word with a word that’s familiar and (if possible) has a lower syllable count.
In the synonym selection box, each synonym has a number in parentheses. This refers to the synonym’s syllable count.
As you replace hard words with easier ones, the text stats in the right panel will update. Refer to these stats to check your progress.
If the stats don’t update, just re-click in the text area.
You can learn more about editing hard words at our website: How to Edit Hard Words to Improve Readability