Readability Metrics API

This API can be used to compute a set of readability metrics. It is RESTful web service and can be called either through a GET or through a POST call. (The latter is recommended for longer texts.)

The API requests should point to the URL http://ipeirotis.appspot.com/readability/GetReadabilityScores. It requires the following parameters.

Parameters

• text: The text for which we want to compute the readability scores.
• format: Specifies the output format of the call. It can be either json or txt.
• If the call specifies format=json then no additional parameter is needed. The call returns a JSON object with all the metrics for the passed text.
• If the call specifies format=txt then the call needs to specify the metric that should be returned.
• metric: Specifies the readability metric to return, when the call specifies format=txt. The metric can take one of the following values:
  • ARI: Returns the Automated Readability Index
  • ColemanLiau: Returns the Coleman-Liau Index
  • FleschKincaid: Returns the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level
  • FleschReading: Returns the Flesch Reading Ease
  • GunningFog: Returns the Gunning-Fog Index
  • SMOG: Returns the SMOG score
  • SMOGIndex: Returns the SMOG Index

Examples

Call: A JSON call for the text I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox.

• URL:

  http://ipeirotis.appspot.com/readability/GetReadabilityScores?format=json&text=I%20do%20not%20like%20them%20in%20a%20box.%20I%20do%20not%20like%20them%20with%20a%20fox.
  

• Result:

  {"characters":42,"words":16,"sentences":2,"syllables":16,"complexwords":0,
  "ari":-5.066,"colemanliau":-3.339,"fleschkincaid":-0.67,"fleschreading":114.115,
  "gunningfog":3.2,"smog":3.129,"smogindex":3.0}

Call: A call to return in txt format the SMOG score for for the text I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox.

• URL:

  http://ipeirotis.appspot.com/readability/GetReadabilityScores?format=txt&metric=SMOG&text=I%20do%20not%20like%20them%20in%20a%20box.%20I%20do%20not%20like%20them%20with%20a%20fox.
  

• Result:

  3.129

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For any bug reports or feature requests, contact Panos Ipeirotis.
The code is available at Google Code.