Readability & Lexical Dispersion

How the readability of Such an Odd Word to Use shifts by chapter, with side-by-side comparisons of the novella to classic literature.

To explore how Such an Odd Word to Use compares to classic literature in style and complexity, I analysed its readability using the Flesch-Kincaid grade level—an estimate of the US school year required to understand a given text. This metric was calculated chapter by chapter, revealing how the reading complexity varies across the book.

For comparison, I drew on works from Project Gutenberg, a digital library of public domain classics. Selecting works of a similar length, and after stripping out introductory front matter, I computed the same chapter-level readability and word counts for each title. This allowed a side-by-side view of how Such an Odd Word to Use sits in relation to the established canon—not just in overall difficulty, but in how that difficulty shifts over the course of the narrative.

Chapters with a more conversational tone—such as the Lana-focused chapters 19 and 23—tend to be easier to read, while more analytical sections, like the cypher-driven chapter 26, are more complex. The overall Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score averages 8.4, indicating the text is suitable for readers at a middle to early high school level (roughly ages 13–15), which aligns with the book’s intended accessibility.

A lexical dispersion plot visualises where and how often key characters are mentioned across the chapters. It highlights patterns in their narrative presence — for example, Alistair (the antagonist) appears consistently throughout, suggesting a sustained influence on the storyline. Lana (an ally) is introduced early but becomes more prominent in later chapters. Imogen (a supporting character) is mentioned more sparingly, reflecting her secondary role in the narrative arc.