AI Tools Expert & Founder
Table of Contents
Use ChatGPT to identify dense wording and suggest clearer alternatives. Then compare the revision with your original to check meaning, accuracy, and tone.
This workflow focuses on editing blog content without chasing a readability score or removing necessary technical detail.
Readability is about understanding, not just a score
Readable writing helps the intended audience follow an explanation and use its information. Vocabulary, organization, prior knowledge, and presentation all matter.
A short sentence can still be vague. A technical term may be necessary when it identifies the exact concept a reader needs.
Use readability checks to support the reader's task, rather than treating a score as proof of understanding.
Understand common readability metrics
Flesch Reading Ease
This formula estimates difficulty from sentence length and syllables. Higher scores generally indicate easier text under that formula.
It is called Flesch Reading Ease, not Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease. Do not confuse it with a grade-level score.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
This estimates a US school grade level from linguistic features. Higher values indicate greater estimated complexity.
Gunning Fog and SMOG
These formulas also estimate reading difficulty using features such as sentence length and complex words. Different formulas can produce different results.
Scores do not verify correctness, logical flow, cultural familiarity, or the reader's knowledge. Short passages and specialized vocabulary can distort interpretation.
Use a tool that supports the language being assessed. An English formula should not automatically be applied to Urdu or multilingual text.
Set an editing brief before using AI
Define the reader, their task, and the language. List technical terms, facts, citations, and qualifications that must remain accurate.
For a beginner guide, explain unfamiliar terms. For a specialist guide, retain necessary terminology and remove unnecessary complexity around it.
Do not assume that professionals prefer difficult prose. Clear writing can benefit experienced readers too.
Related guide: audience research with ChatGPT
A five-step ChatGPT editing workflow
1. Start with one coherent section, including nearby context. Save the original for comparison.
2. Ask for a diagnosis before a rewrite. Identify unclear references, dense sentences, missing definitions, and weak transitions.
3. Request a revision that preserves the meaning and the required details.
4. Compare both versions line by line. Check facts, uncertainty, conditions, and who performs each action.
5. Preview the section in the page layout and test whether a reader can complete the intended task.
The assistant suggests edits. You remain responsible for checking the result.
Prompt to diagnose and revise a section
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Improve this section for [audience] completing [task].
Language and tone: [details]
Required terms, facts, citations, and caveats: [list]
Text and nearby context: [content]
First identify unclear references, dense sentences, unexplained terms, and weak structure.
Then provide a revision that preserves the meaning and evidence.
Vary sentence length naturally. Do not enforce a fixed word limit per sentence.
Use lists only when they improve a real list or sequence.
Do not invent facts, remove uncertainty, or promise rankings.
Show material changes and flag anything requiring subject-matter review.
This historical prompt screenshot is illustrative. Use the revised prompt above to avoid rigid sentence-length rules.
Provide context and important constraints with the section being edited.
Compare the revision with the original before accepting it.
Before-and-after examples that preserve meaning
Replace vague wording
Before: 'It is essential to facilitate the implementation of improvements to optimize the readability of the material.'
After: 'Edit the material so readers can follow the explanation.'
Keep an important qualification
Before: 'A shorter introduction may help readers reach the main answer sooner, depending on the topic and layout.'
Weak AI revision: 'A shorter introduction improves engagement.'
Better revision: 'A shorter opening can help readers reach the answer sooner. Whether it helps depends on the topic and layout.'
The weak revision changes a conditional statement into an unsupported result.
Explain a technical term
Before: 'Inspect the canonical before modifying the slug.'
After: 'Check the canonical URL, which identifies the preferred page address, before changing the slug.'
Use structure to improve clarity
A visual explanation can support a complex section. Keep its essential information available in readable page text.
Turn a blog section into a clear infographic
Group each paragraph around one idea. Use headings that describe the section's purpose.
Use numbered steps for sequences and bullets for parallel items. Do not turn every sentence into a separate bullet.
Choose active voice when it clarifies responsibility. Passive voice can be useful when the actor is unknown or less important.
Keep examples close to the concepts they explain. Check that pronouns and transitions have clear references.
Simplification should preserve the information a reader needs.
AI suggestions require review for meaning, evidence, and audience fit.
Compare readability scores without treating them as targets
Measure the original and revision using the same tool and settings. Check what changed rather than accepting a higher score automatically.
If the score improves because essential terminology disappeared, restore the terminology and explain it.
A grade estimate or editing score does not establish accessibility compliance, Google rankings, or a conversion improvement.
For complex material, consider a plain-language summary or supplemental explanation. Broader accessibility also involves design, navigation, semantics, and interaction.
Readability tools: inspect suggestions, not promotional scores
For editing while browsing, compare page access, rewrite controls, and usage limits before relying on an assistant.
Explore Merlin's browser-based writing workflow
A checker can flag linguistic complexity, while an editor can suggest rewrites. Neither substitutes for factual or reader review.
The screenshots below illustrate earlier tools and interfaces. Verify current features and pricing before choosing a product.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Historical interface example. A displayed score is an editing signal, rather than proof of search performance or reader comprehension.
Mistakes to avoid when simplifying AI-written content
Do not impose one sentence length throughout. Excessive splitting can make the explanation choppy and weaken relationships between ideas.
Do not remove every technical term or caveat. Precision matters more than achieving an arbitrary score.
Do not use an AI detector score as proof of authorship or quality. Review originality, accuracy, sourcing, and usefulness directly.
Do not assume AI edits are unbiased or reliably better than a human editor's work. Review suggestions rather than accepting them automatically.
Do not infer higher rankings from more time on page. Measure outcomes and consider other changes and sources of variation.
Final readability review
Can a reader explain the main point and follow the steps? Are definitions, transitions, and examples clear?
Are facts and qualifications preserved? Does the page remain usable on a phone?
Ask a reader unfamiliar with the draft to attempt its task. Their questions can reveal problems that formulas miss.