How to Fix Missing Flesch-Kincaid Readability Statistics in Word
Question details
The user is unable to see Flesch-Kincaid readability statistics after running a spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewing document reading level and readability statistics.
- Observed behavior
- The readability statistics window fails to display in the Word Editor after completing a spelling and grammar check.
Ensure your document contains enough text for Word to evaluate, and verify that the document language is fully supported by the readability feature.
Enable Readability Statistics in Proofing Options
The readability statistics feature must be explicitly enabled in Word's settings before it will display after a grammar check.
Microsoft Word hides readability statistics by default. You must configure the proofing settings to check grammar alongside spelling and then explicitly enable the statistics display.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of Microsoft Word, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.
In the Word Options dialog box, click on 'Proofing' from the left-hand sidebar.
Under the 'When correcting spelling and grammar in Word' section, check the boxes for both 'Check grammar with spelling' and 'Show readability statistics'.
Go to the 'Review' tab on the ribbon and click 'Spelling & Grammar' (or 'Editor'). You must correct or ignore all flagged errors before the final statistics window will appear.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have to finish the spelling check to see readability stats?
Word's engine calculates the Flesch-Kincaid scores based on the entire, finalized text. It requires you to resolve or ignore all potential grammatical and spelling errors first to provide an accurate readability assessment.
Does Flesch-Kincaid work for languages other than English?
Microsoft Word primarily supports Flesch-Kincaid readability statistics for English documents. Other languages may use entirely different readability scales or might not be supported by this specific feature.
What does the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level mean?
The grade level translates the readability score into a U.S. school grade level, indicating the years of education generally required to understand the text.
Why is the 'Show readability statistics' option grayed out?
This option may be grayed out if 'Check grammar with spelling' is not checked. Ensure both options are enabled in the Proofing settings.
