Do you write better than a 6th grader?
Try this trick to make your writing easier to understand and reach more people.
Nicole Hehl
8/26/20241 min read
Do you write better than a 6th grader? You donโt have to.
Turns out the sweet spot is writing at the 6th-grade level.
Yep. Those extra years of writing skills I got from high school, college, and journalism school? Not necessary.
OK, thankfully thatโs not completely true. And Iโm not outsourcing writing to my 12-year-old niece yet.
The idea is to write at the 6th-grade reading level.
WHY?
It's easier to read and understand. And your words reach more people.
More than half of Americans ages 16-74 read at or below the 6th-grade level, according to a 2020 Gallup analysis.
Even if your audience can read your beautiful, intellectually written prose, they might not want to. Or have the time.
We're a culture of skimmers and scrollers.
Even doctors and CEOs don't want to read thesis-style emails daily.
It's exhausting. And we're already exhausted!
(I'm not the only exhausted one, right?)
๐ฆO HOW DO YOU GET 6TH-GRADE READABILITY?
๐ Make your writing clear and simple.
๐ Write shorter sentences.
๐ Donโt choose big words when smaller words work.
๐ Use simple verb tenses.
๐ Cut unnecessary adjectives and adverbs.
Now, I love words, and I'm not giving up all the big or delightfully descriptive ones. You don't have to either.
But be choosy. Use the words you love and the ones that showcase who you are.
Sprinkle in a handful of bigger words or adjectives on purpose, and they pop. They add something special and make a bigger impact.
Want to test your "readability"? Put your text into Hemingway Editor (hemingwayapp.com).
This blog = Grade 3
What do you think about a 6th-grade writing style?
Do you like reading clear, simple content or do you enjoy the complexity of writing from a senior-level lit course?
