Step 4: Convert your text into a plain text file

The Spanish Lexile Analyzer requires a plain text document (*.txt file ending) in the Unicode (UTF-8) format. A plain text file is one which uses only a basic character set and contains no formatting or images. If you submit files of an incorrect format to the Spanish Lexile Analyzer, an incorrect Spanish Lexile measure or error message may be returned.

The Spanish Lexile Analyzer cannot currently measure Microsoft Word, PDF, HTML, or image files such as JPGs or GIFs.

If the source text to be measured is in an electronic document format, such as a word-processing document, the file usually can be converted into the plain text format using the settings in the application's Save As... menu.

For instance, if your document is in Microsoft Word for Windows, then follow this procedure to save to plain text:

  1. With your document open, select Save As... from the File menu.
  2. In the Save as type drop-down box, select Plain Text (*.txt).
  3. Click the Save button and a File Conversion window opens:

    4. File conversion

  4. Click the Other encoding radio button and select Unicode (UTF-8) from the list of formats to the right.
  5. Also check Allow character substitution.
  6. Click the OK button.

You have saved your document in the plain text format for the Spanish Lexile Analyzer.

It is advisable to open your plain text document in a program such as NotePad in order to check it for character conversion errors.  Pay attention to special characters such as quotation marks, apostrophes, or accented characters.  Also, ensure that em dashes and en dashes have appropriate spacing on either side. They will be converted to hyphens, which can make the Spanish Lexile Analyzer interpret the two words on either side of an em dash as a single hyphenated word unless there are spaces on either side of the hyphen.

>> Go on to Step 5: Analyze your text and get results

<< Go back to Step 3: Type or scan your text