How Readable Are Your Sentences?

"In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home."—Len Wein

From beginning writers to highly-educated professionals, some people write inordinately long sentences, as in lose-my-interest-length. I worked for an organization that thought good writing was, “How many thoughts and ideas can I compress into one sentence?”


As trash-compactor writers, their jam-packed manuscripts often contained polysyllabic words and long, complex sentences. Three or four complete sentences and concepts packed into one sentence was not unusual—it was the norm. I recall one 63-word opening hook.


Untangling a difficult-to-read manuscript exhausts both the reader and editor. ‘Readability’ does not mean trying to impress others with a massive brain dump in one sentence or paragraph. Readability, the writing quality of your sentences, makes it easy (or difficult) to read and understand.


How do you write easy-to-digest, understandable sentences on the first reading? The bottom line? Use simpler diction. Write short sentences. Like American writer, Janet Flanner said, “I keep going over a sentence. I nag it, gnaw it, pat and flatter it.”


Tips to Nag, Gnaw, Pat, and Flatter Your Sentences

Write readable sentences.

• Reader’s Digest length sentences: 5-7 words.
• The easiest sentence to read? 8 words.
• 1-20 words: easy to read.
• 21-25 words: easy to understand.
• 26-29: difficult to follow.
• 30+ words: confusing.

The Long and Short of Short Sentences

• A string of short sentences often sound childish, choppy, tedious, and difficult to understand.
• Use short, punchy sentence as a hook to stress one strong idea.
• Maximize and emphasize crucial points and critical information.
• Save for important statements.

The Long and Short of Long Sentences

• A string of long sentences often sounds boring or unclear. 
• Long sentences annoy readers.
• Break a sentence of more than 20 words into two sentences.
• Longer sentences can complicate the story in places where simplicity is more effective.
• Long sentences incorporate information and coordinate ideas.

Promote pacing, rhythm, emphasis, and reader interest.

• Vary sentence length and structure to create strong rhythm.
• Vary sentence structure openings. Too many similar beginnings make reading tedious.
• Write sentences in a logical or chronological progression of thought.
• Begin each sentence with a different word. Don’t start two or more sentences with the same word. 
• Keep an eye out for missing periods, weird commas, closing quotes, and opening quotes.
• Delete exclamation points.