Gunning fog index

proper noun

A readability metric for English writing, estimating how many years of formal education a person needs in order to understand the text on the first reading. It is based on the average sentence length and the proportion of words of three or more syllables.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Gunning fog index
  1. A readability metric for English writing, estimating how many years of formal education a person needs in order to understand the text on the first reading. It is based on the average sentence length and the proportion of words of three or more syllables.

Origin

Developed in 1952 by Robert Gunning.

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Cite this entry
APA

Gunning fog index. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunning%20fog%20index

MLA

“Gunning fog index.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunning%20fog%20index. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gunning fog index,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gunning%20fog%20index.

Source: Gunning fog index on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.