How to Make Your Writing Easier to Read (10 Proven Techniques)
Most "how to write more clearly" articles recycle the same advice: use short sentences, choose simple words, avoid jargon, read it out loud. The advice isn't wrong, but it's underspecified. "Use short sentences" doesn't tell you which sentences to shorten or how. "Avoid jargon" doesn't tell you what to do when the jargon is the precise word your reader needs.
This article gives you 10 specific techniques, each with a clear before-and-after example. The techniques are roughly ordered from highest-leverage to lowest — the first three will move your readability score more than the last three combined.
Technique 1: Split Long Sentences at Conjunctions and Punctuation
This is the single most powerful technique. Most long sentences aren't one thought — they're three thoughts joined with "and," "but," "because," "which," or commas.
Before (32 words, one sentence):
Despite the fact that the new policy was met with significant resistance from the engineering team during the initial rollout phase, the company decided to push forward with the implementation, citing the long-term benefits that would accrue to the organization as a whole.
After (3 sentences, 29 words total):
The engineering team resisted the new policy during the initial rollout. The company pushed forward anyway. They cited the long-term benefits to the organization.
What changed: Three sentences instead of one. Average sentence length dropped from 32 to ~10 words, which alone moves the Flesch Reading Ease from about 35 to about 65.
How to apply it: Scan for sentences longer than 20 words. If a sentence has multiple thoughts, split at "and," "but," "because," "which," semicolons, or em-dashes.
Technique 2: Replace Nominalizations with Their Verb Forms
A nominalization is a verb turned into a noun: "make a decision" instead of "decide," "conduct an investigation" instead of "investigate," "have a conversation" instead of "converse." They're everywhere in business and academic writing, and they're the second-biggest source of low readability scores after long sentences.
Before:
The team conducted an investigation into the cause of the system failure, made a determination that the issue was related to a configuration error, and implemented a resolution that resulted in the restoration of service within two hours.
After:
The team investigated the system failure. They determined the cause was a configuration error. They fixed it and restored service within two hours.
What changed: "Conducted an investigation" → "investigated." "Made a determination" → "determined." "Implemented a resolution that resulted in the restoration of service" → "fixed it and restored service." Four nominalizations replaced with their verb forms. Word count dropped from 38 to 25. Three short sentences replaced one long one.
How to spot them: Look for words ending in -tion, -ment, -ance, -ence, -ity, -sion — often appearing after phrases like "make a," "conduct a," "perform a," "have a." Each phrase is a flag.
Common pairs to replace:
| Nominalization (verbose) | Verb (concise) |
|---|---|
| Make a decision | Decide |
| Conduct an investigation | Investigate |
| Have a conversation | Converse / talk |
| Make an assessment | Assess |
| Provide an explanation | Explain |
| Reach a conclusion | Conclude |
| Give consideration to | Consider |
| Make a recommendation | Recommend |
| Perform an analysis | Analyze |
| Achieve a reduction | Reduce |
Technique 3: Replace Latinate Vocabulary with Germanic Equivalents
English has two main vocabulary layers. The Germanic layer (from Anglo-Saxon) tends to be short, common, and one or two syllables: use, do, get, make, help, need, want, end, begin, show. The Latinate layer (from French and Latin, often via Norman French) tends to be longer and more formal: utilize, implement, obtain, facilitate, require, desire, terminate, initiate, demonstrate.
For most everyday writing, Germanic words are clearer — they're the words readers learned first, encounter most often, and process fastest. Latinate words aren't wrong; sometimes they're the precise word you need. But they slow readers down.
Before:
The committee will facilitate the implementation of the new initiative, with the objective of optimizing operational efficiency across multiple departments, while concurrently ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to support the ongoing maintenance of existing systems.
After:
The committee will help launch the new plan. The goal is to make operations more efficient across departments. At the same time, the committee will make sure existing systems get the support they need.
What changed: "Facilitate" → "help," "implementation" → "launch," "initiative" → "plan," "objective of optimizing operational efficiency" → "goal is to make operations more efficient." Syllable count dropped from ~70 to ~50; sentence count rose from 1 to 3; Flesch Reading Ease climbs from about 30 to about 65.
How to apply it: When you revise, look for long formal words and ask: is there a shorter, more common word that means the same thing? Use the swap table below as a starting point.
| Latinate | Germanic |
|---|---|
| Utilize | Use |
| Implement | Do / build / set up |
| Facilitate | Help |
| Demonstrate | Show |
| Endeavor | Try |
| Sufficient | Enough |
| Numerous | Many |
| Approximately | About |
| Subsequently | Then / later |
| Currently | Now |
| In the event that | If |
| Due to the fact that | Because |
| In order to | To |
| Terminate | End |
| Obtain | Get |
| Require | Need |
None of these swaps change meaning in most contexts. Each one cuts one to three syllables per word.
Technique 4: Use Active Voice (Most of the Time)
Passive voice isn't wrong — sometimes it's the right choice. But passive constructions are usually longer, less direct, and harder to read.
Before:
The report was reviewed by the committee, and several recommendations were made by its members, after which the document was forwarded to the executive team by the chairperson, where it was approved by the CEO prior to being released to the public.
After:
The committee reviewed the report and made several recommendations. The chairperson forwarded the document to the executive team. The CEO approved it before releasing it to the public.
What changed: Four passive constructions ("was reviewed," "were made," "was forwarded," "was approved") replaced with active voice. Each replacement also made the actor explicit, which improves clarity.
How to spot passive voice: Look for "was [verb]ed by," "is [verb]ed by," "were [verb]ed by," and past participles without a clear actor ("the report was completed" — by whom?).
When passive is correct: Use passive when the actor is unknown ("the window was broken") or when the action matters more than the actor ("the patient was treated"). Don't use passive just because it sounds more formal.
Technique 5: Cut Filler Phrases
Filler phrases add length without adding meaning. They're everywhere in business and academic writing.
Before:
In order to be able to effectively address the issue at hand in a timely manner, it is necessary that we, as a team, conduct a comprehensive analysis of all available data, due to the fact that the situation is one that requires careful consideration of multiple factors.
After:
To address the issue on time, we need to analyze all available data. The situation requires careful consideration of multiple factors.
What changed: Cut "in order to" → "to." Cut "be able to effectively" → empty. Cut "the issue at hand" → "the issue." Cut "in a timely manner" → "on time." Cut "it is necessary that we, as a team" → "we need to." Cut "due to the fact that" → (split into a new sentence). Word count: 51 → 26.
The filler phrase list to memorize:
| Filler | Cut to |
|---|---|
| In order to | To |
| Due to the fact that | Because |
| At this point in time | Now |
| In the event that | If |
| For the purpose of | For |
| With regard to | About |
| It should be noted that | (cut entirely) |
| There is / There are | (restructure) |
| On a regular basis | Regularly |
| In the near future | Soon |
| A large number of | Many |
| With the exception of | Except |
| Make a change to | Change |
Each filler phrase you cut removes words without removing meaning.
Technique 6: Use Concrete Examples Instead of Abstract Statements
Abstract writing forces the reader to do extra work to figure out what you mean. Concrete writing — with specific examples, real numbers, and named entities — does that work for them.
Before (abstract):
Many organizations struggle with implementing effective onboarding processes for new employees, which can lead to reduced productivity and increased turnover during the initial period of employment.
After (concrete):
A 2023 Gallup study found that 88% of new hires don't feel confident in their role after 90 days. Companies with weak onboarding lose 25% of new hires in the first year.
What changed: The abstract "many organizations struggle" became "88% of new hires don't feel confident." The abstract "reduced productivity and increased turnover" became "25% of new hires in the first year." The vague "initial period of employment" became "90 days." The concrete version isn't just shorter — it's more credible, because it cites evidence instead of making a claim.
How to apply it: After writing a draft, scan for vague quantifiers ("many," "most," "some," "often") and abstract nouns ("process," "system," "approach," "factor"). Replace each with a specific number, a named example, or a concrete instance. If you can't find a specific example, that's a signal the original claim might not be defensible.
Technique 7: Front-Load Your Most Important Information
Readers decide whether to keep reading in the first sentence or two. If you bury your main point under background, you lose them.
Before (buried lede):
Customer satisfaction has long been recognized as a critical factor in the long-term success of businesses across a wide range of industries. Research conducted over the past several decades has consistently demonstrated that organizations which prioritize customer satisfaction tend to outperform their competitors in terms of revenue growth, market share, and customer retention. In light of these findings, we recommend that the company implement a quarterly customer satisfaction survey, beginning in Q2.
After (front-loaded):
We recommend implementing a quarterly customer satisfaction survey starting in Q2. Customer satisfaction correlates with revenue growth, market share, and customer retention across industries — and we want to track ours consistently.
What changed: The recommendation moved from the third sentence to the first. The two sentences of context became one supporting sentence. Word count dropped from 75 to 36.
How to apply it: For each paragraph, ask: what's the single most important sentence? Move it to the top. Then trim the supporting context to what the reader needs to understand that sentence. This works at every level — front-load your section's main point, your article's thesis, your email's ask. Scanners get the value; deep readers get the context.
Technique 8: Use Signposting and Structural Cues
Signposting tells readers where you're going. Structural cues — headings, bullet lists, numbered lists, bold lead-ins — help readers navigate.
Before (no signposting):
There are several factors that contribute to the difficulty of estimating software projects accurately. The first is that requirements often change during the development process, which means that initial estimates become outdated. The second is that developers have different skill levels, so the time required to complete a task varies depending on who is assigned to it. The third is that integration with existing systems often reveals unexpected complexities that weren't visible during the initial planning phase. The fourth is that testing and debugging time is notoriously difficult to predict, especially for systems with complex state dependencies.
After (with signposting and structure):
Four factors make software project estimation hard:
>
1. Changing requirements. Initial estimates go stale as the project evolves.
2. Developer skill variance. The same task takes different amounts of time depending on who's assigned.
3. Integration surprises. Hooking up to existing systems often reveals hidden complexity.
4. Testing unpredictability. Debugging time is hard to predict, especially for systems with complex state.
What changed: Same four points, each now a labeled bullet with a bold lead-in. Word count dropped from 110 to 60. Readers can absorb the four headlines in 5 seconds.
How to apply it: When you have three or more items, use a numbered or bulleted list. Bold the lead-in phrase of each bullet so scanners can pick up the structure. This is especially important for web content — mobile readers skim, and walls of text make them bounce.
Technique 9: Cut Redundancy
Writers often state the same idea multiple times in slightly different words, thinking they're adding emphasis. In reality, they're adding length without adding meaning.
Before:
The new system is completely and totally different from the previous version. It represents a fundamental and foundational shift in how we approach the problem. The implications are significant and meaningful for the entire organization.
After:
The new system is fundamentally different from the previous version. It represents a shift in how we approach the problem, with significant implications for the organization.
What changed: Cut "completely and totally" → "fundamentally." Cut "fundamental and foundational" → "a shift." Cut "significant and meaningful" → "significant."
Common redundancy patterns:
| Redundant | Concise |
|---|---|
| Completely and totally | Completely |
| Each and every | Each |
| First and foremost | First |
| Fundamental and foundational | Fundamental |
| Significant and meaningful | Significant |
| Past history | History |
| Future plans | Plans |
| End result | Result |
| Unexpected surprise | Surprise |
| Basic fundamentals | Basics |
| Advance planning | Planning |
| Collaborate together | Collaborate |
| New innovation | Innovation |
| Final outcome | Outcome |
Each cut saves words without losing meaning.
Technique 10: Use the Strongest Verb, Not the Verb Phrase
Writers often use verb phrases ("is running," "has been working," "will be implementing") when a single strong verb would do the same work in fewer words.
Before:
The team is currently working on the implementation of the new system, which will be replacing the existing legacy platform that has been in use since 2018.
After:
The team is implementing the new system. It replaces the legacy platform from 2018.
What changed: "Is currently working on the implementation of" → "is implementing." "Will be replacing" → "replaces." Word count: 25 → 14.
Verb-phrase patterns to watch for:
| Verb phrase | Strong verb |
|---|---|
| Is working on | Works on / does |
| Is making | Makes |
| Is going to | Will |
| Has been doing | Does / did |
| Will be implementing | Will implement |
| Are in the process of | (cut + use main verb) |
| Are responsible for | (cut + use main verb) |
How to Apply These in Practice
The techniques aren't independent — they compound. A single revision often uses four or five at once. The workflow that works:
- Write the first draft naturally. Don't optimize during drafting; it interrupts the flow of ideas.
- Run the draft through a readability tool. Get a baseline Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid score. If you're already in your target band, skip the rest.
- Apply techniques in order. Split long sentences (1), then de-nominalize (2), then swap Latinate for Germanic (3), then cut filler (5), then convert passive to active (4), then trim redundancy (9). These six are highest-leverage; the other four refine the result.
- Re-check the score. Repeat on the most difficult paragraphs if needed.
- Read aloud. Anywhere you stumble, gasp for breath, or lose your place — readers will struggle there too.
A Note on When Not to Apply These Techniques
These techniques work for most general-audience writing. Don't use them when:
- You're writing for a specialized audience that expects formal academic prose. A philosophy journal article at grade 8 will be rejected.
- You're writing legal content where the precise wording matters. Latinate vocabulary and passive voice sometimes carry legal weight that simpler phrasing loses.
- You're writing literary fiction where voice matters. A novel that reads at grade 4 throughout will sound flat. Variety in sentence length and word choice is part of voice.
- You're writing poetry, where every syllable counts for sound. The techniques here optimize for clarity, not sound.
For almost every other kind of writing — blog posts, emails, marketing copy, documentation, news, opinion, non-fiction, white papers, reports — these techniques will help.
The Bottom Line
Readable writing isn't about dumbing down — it's about respecting the reader's time. Every long sentence, nominalization, Latinate word, filler phrase, passive construction, and redundancy you cut is a small gift to your reader: less effort to extract the same meaning.
Your readers won't notice your sentence length or verb choices. What they'll notice is that they finished your article, understood it, and remember the main points.
For checking your drafts as you write, our readability analyzer gives you a live Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and sentence-length breakdown.