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Gunning Fog Index Calculator

The Gunning Fog Index estimates the years of formal education needed to understand a piece of text on first reading.

Non conçu pour le Français

Cet outil a été calibré pour l'anglais (et quelques langues proches). Les résultats en Français risquent de ne pas être significatifs.

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Comment ça marche

The Gunning Fog index was created by Robert Gunning to identify text that is unnecessarily "foggy" or hard to understand.

It combines average sentence length with the percentage of "complex" words — words of 3+ syllables, with allowances for proper nouns, suffixes, and compound words.

A score of 12 corresponds to high-school senior level. Time and Newsweek typically score around 11.

Formule

FAQ

What is a complex word in Gunning Fog?

A word of 3 or more syllables, excluding proper nouns, familiar compound words (like "everywhere"), and words made polysyllabic by common suffixes (-ed, -es, -ing).

What score should I aim for?

Aim for under 12 for general audiences. Anything above 16 is considered very difficult to read.

Is Gunning Fog appropriate for business writing?

Yes. The Fog index was popularised by Robert Gunning specifically for business and journalistic writing.

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