Blog
Guides to the math behind the tools — readability formulas, pricing your work, sizing a build, and planning a game world.
Linsear Write: the readability formula that counts easy and hard words by hand
How Linsear Write scores a 100-word sample by weighting easy (≤2 syllable) and hard (3+ syllable) words, why the Air Force built it for hand-calculation, and when it beats the syllable-average formulas.
FORCAST: the readability formula that ignores sentences entirely
Why FORCAST counts only single-syllable words across a 150-word sample, how it scores text with no real sentences — forms, lists, tests — and when it beats Flesch and SMOG.
The Spache Readability Formula: measuring text for the youngest readers
How Spache scores primary-grade (K–4) text against a list of familiar words, why it beats Flesch and Dale–Chall below fourth grade, and how to read its grade output.
Dale–Chall readability explained: the formula that scores words you actually know
Why Dale–Chall measures vocabulary familiarity instead of syllables, how the 3,000-word familiar list works, what the 3.6365 adjustment does, and when it beats Flesch.
The Automated Readability Index: why counting characters beats counting syllables
How ARI turns characters-per-word and sentence length into a US grade level, why it skips syllables, what the −21.43 constant does, and when to trust it over Flesch.
How a passive voice detector actually works (and when to ignore it)
A passive voice detector hunts for one grammatical pattern: a form of "to be" followed by a past participle. Here is exactly how the matching works, why it both over- and under-flags, and how to use the percentage without letting it bully your prose.
The LIX readability index: the formula that does not care about syllables
LIX scores text from just two things you can count without a dictionary: average sentence length and the share of words longer than six letters. That is exactly why it works across languages where Flesch and SMOG fall apart.
The Gunning Fog Index, explained: what the score means and how to lower it
The Gunning Fog Index turns two things you can control — sentence length and the density of long words — into a single school-grade number. Here is exactly how it is calculated, what counts as a "complex" word, and how to bring a foggy paragraph down a grade.
The SMOG index: the readability formula health writers actually trust
SMOG measures one thing — the density of long words — and is calibrated to full comprehension, not the gist. Here is how the score is built, why it reads a grade or two higher than other formulas, and why healthcare writing relies on it.
How to find and fix the clichés hiding in your writing
Clichés slip in precisely because they feel natural — that is the problem. Here is why dead phrases dull your prose, the six families a cliché detector hunts for, and how to swap each one for something that actually says what you mean.
How a headline analyzer scores your title (and what to do with the number)
A headline score is not magic — it is a handful of measurable checks added together. Here is exactly what a headline analyzer checks, why length, word balance, and format each move the number, and how to use the score without being fooled by it.
Letter frequency analysis: why E wins and what the counts reveal
Counting letters sounds trivial until you see what the distribution exposes — cracked ciphers, language fingerprints, and skewed prose. How frequency analysis works, what the English baseline means, and how to read the deltas.
Text entropy, explained: what predictability actually measures
Shannon entropy turns "how predictable is this writing?" into a number. What bits-per-symbol mean, why character, word, and bigram modes disagree, and why entropy is a weak AI-detection signal, not a verdict.
The Coleman–Liau Index: the readability formula built for computers
Why Coleman–Liau counts letters instead of syllables, what its L and S variables really mean, when it beats Flesch–Kincaid, and where it quietly misleads.
What is a good keyword density? The honest answer for modern SEO
Keyword density once ruled SEO. Now it is a guardrail, not a target. Here is what density actually measures, the safe range, and how to read 1-, 2-, and 3-word phrase results without falling for the old "magic number" myth.
How long does it take to cross a kingdom? A travel-time guide for writers and GMs
Why fantasy journeys break immersion when the math is wrong, the real-world pace of feet, hooves, wheels, and sails, and how terrain and rations turn a line on a map into a believable trip.
Why you can’t talk to Mars in real time: a sci-fi writer’s guide to light-speed lag
Radio doesn’t travel instantly, and the delay between worlds changes by the day. Here’s the physics of conversation lag, why it breaks naive space scenes, and how to use it as a storytelling tool.
How many blacksmiths does a fantasy town have? Building believable settlements
Why most RPG towns have far too many shops for their size, the medieval demographics that fix it, and how population alone tells you the smiths, inns, gold limit, and farmland a settlement needs.
How much fabric does a cosplay actually need? Stop guessing at the cutting table
Why bolt width, nap, and pattern repeats decide your yardage, how capes and pleated skirts eat more cloth than you think, and how to buy enough the first time.
Designing a planet readers will believe: a worldbuilder's guide to gravity
How surface gravity really works, what high- and low-g worlds do to bodies, jumps, and buildings, and how to pick numbers that keep a fictional planet physically honest.