The Szigriszt-Pazos Perspicuity Index for Spanish Texts
Francisco Szigriszt Pazos, in his 1993 doctoral thesis titled "Predictive Systems for Legibility of the Written Message: Perspicuity Formula", introduced the Szigriszt-Pazos Perspicuity Index (Índice de Perspicuidad de Szigriszt-Pazos). It's a scientific formula used to measure the readability of Spanish texts. The formula is widely used in Spain and Latin America.
The index is similar to other readability formulas such as the Flesch-Kincaid Tests in English. It analyzes a text based on sentence length, syllable count, and word length. Lower scores mean the text is more complex, while higher scores mean the text is easier to read.
The formula is as follows:
The concept of "perspicuity" proposed by Szigriszt-Pazos is defined in the DRAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia Española). Perspicuity is writing in a clear, lucid, and understandable style.
The formula outputs a number to find the reading level of a text. We added students' ages and grade levels to each readability level to help you visualize who your reader is.
The index is similar to other readability formulas such as the Flesch-Kincaid Tests in English. It analyzes a text based on sentence length, syllable count, and word length. Lower scores mean the text is more complex, while higher scores mean the text is easier to read.
The formula is as follows:
\( P = 206.835 - 62.3 \times \frac{Sy}{W} - \frac{W}{S} \)
- P is the readability score (perspicuity index).
- Sy is the total number of syllables in the text.
- W is the number of words.
- S is the number of sentences.
| Score (P) | Reading Level | US Grade Level | Age Group | Reading Ease Score | Spanish Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 15 | Very Difficult | College and Above | 19+ year olds | 13 | Universidad |
| 16 - 35 | Difficult | 11th - 12th Grade | 16-18 year olds | 11.5 | Bachillerato |
| 36 - 50 | Slightly Difficult | 9th - 10th Grade | 14-16 year olds | 9.5 | 3º - 4º ESO |
| 51 - 65 | Average | 7th - 8th Grade | 12-14 year olds | 7.5 | 1º - 2º ESO |
| 66 - 75 | Slightly Easy | 5th - 6th Grade | 10-11 year olds | 5.5 | 5º - 6º Primaria |
| 76 - 85 | Easy | 3rd - 4th Grade | 8-9 year olds | 3.5 | 3º - 4º Primaria |
| > 85 | Very Easy | 1st - 2nd Grade | 6-7 year olds | 1.5 | 1º - 2º Primaria |
The concept of "perspicuity" proposed by Szigriszt-Pazos is defined in the DRAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia Española). Perspicuity is writing in a clear, lucid, and understandable style.
The formula outputs a number to find the reading level of a text. We added students' ages and grade levels to each readability level to help you visualize who your reader is.
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