Wikipedia Lexical Complexity Drift
Tracks the median lexical complexity of Wikipedia articles and its variability over time.
- Observations
- 122
- Tracking since
- Last updated
Median lexical complexity (Flesch‑Kincaid grade level)
Median Flesch‑Kincaid grade level of featured Wikipedia articles
| 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 04 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 07 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Nov |
Darker = higher median lexical complexity (flesch‑kincaid grade level). Empty cells are hours with no collection.
| When | Median lexical complexity (Flesch‑Kincaid grade level) |
|---|---|
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.421 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.221 grade level | |
| 11.22 grade level | |
| 11.22 grade level | |
| 11.22 grade level | |
| 11.22 grade level | |
| 11.22 grade level |
Standard deviation of lexical complexity
Standard deviation of Flesch‑Kincaid grade level across featured articles
| 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 04 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 07 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Nov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Nov |
Darker = higher standard deviation of lexical complexity. Empty cells are hours with no collection.
| When | Standard deviation of lexical complexity |
|---|---|
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.122 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.067 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.231 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.069 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 1.068 grade level | |
| 0.911 grade level | |
| 0.911 grade level | |
| 0.911 grade level | |
| 0.911 grade level |
About this data
The page tracks the median lexical complexity of Wikipedia articles, calculated using a standard readability score such as the Flesch‑Kincaid Grade Level applied to the plain‑text content of each revision.
For each month we compute the median of those scores across all articles that received an edit, together with the standard deviation to show the spread of complexity values.
Changes in these figures can indicate shifts in the editorial tone – for example, a move toward more accessible language or, conversely, toward more technical prose – offering insight into how the encyclopaedia’s audience and contributor base evolve.
Sources
Every figure on this page was read from these pages.
Why this isn't published anywhere else
The search results provide general information on language complexity and lexical complexity prediction, but do not indicate that anyone is currently tracking or publishing Wikipedia's lexical complexity drift, making the proposed topic unique.
Uniqueness score 1.00 — assessed against live web search results when this subject was created.