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How to Learn Danish by Reading: Finding Books That Match Your Level

If you want to read books in Danish, then this article is for you. If you don’t want to read books in Danish, but are a nerd and somehow stumbled upon this corner of the Internet, then this article may also be for you. Either way, welcome! I’ll try to guide you on how to find and read books that match your current level in Danish, so that you learn the language in a more efficient and enjoyable way and increase your level in Danish. Technically, you can apply the same methods to any language.


TL;DR:

  1. look for books that you think you will enjoy
  2. peek inside the book to get a sample of the text (ideally pages without dialogue)
  3. go to an online LIX tal beregner
  4. copy-paste the sample text
  5. check the computed LIX tal score
  6. assess if it suitable for your level
  7. start reading the book
  8. ???
  9. profit


Reading in Danish Also Trains Your Pronunciation

Fun fact: when you are reading, your brain also “pronounces” the words, together with minuscule vibrations in your vocal cords - so you are actually kind of training pronunciation as well. Writing triggers this process even more. This is important to note because, as you probably know, Danish pronunciation is not the easiest out there. So if you encounter a word that you’ve never heard before, it’s a good idea to take note of it and come back to it later, hear how it is pronounced and practice it. This way, once you know the pronunciation, when you encounter that word again while reading, you will practice the (hopefully) correct pronunciation, instead of a potentially made-up, inaccurate, version.


^ me trying to pronounce a word I've never heard in Danish


What Is LIX (Læsbarhedsindeks)? The Secret to Choosing Danish Books

Anyway. Now, you decided you want to read Danish. You might have heard that reading is a very good way to build vocabulary. The problem is you don’t want to read boring/children’s books. You want to read the good stuff - books that you actually enjoy. But how do you find them? Well, you can use a concept called LIX. 

LIX is short for “læsbarhedsindeks” (translated to English as “readability index”). It is an indicator of how easy/difficult it is to read a text. The higher the index, the more difficult it is. LIX is quite used in Danish schools to guide parents and children in choosing books and track literacy progress. 


The formula is:


LIX = (Number of words ÷ Number of sentences) + (Number of long words × 100 ÷ Number of words)



Basically, it’s a sum of the average number of words per sentence and the percentage of long words within the text (long word = 7 letters or more).


Danish LIX Score Scale: Examples by Reading Level


LIX ScoreDifficulty LevelApproximate Learner LevelExample Danish Texts
10–25Children (Grades 0–5)A1–A2 (Module 1–2)Heidi by Johanna Spyri
25–34Easy Fiction & Young AdultA2–B1 (Module 3)Dødsspillet (The Hunger Games)
35–44Medium (Adult Novels & News)B1–B2 (Module 4 / PD3)Harry Potter, mainstream news
45–54Difficult (Specialized Non-Fiction)B2–C1 (Module 5 / Study)Indfødsretsprøven material (LIX ~45)
55+Very DifficultC1+ (Academic / Legal)Legal texts, university research

Personally, I enjoy reading Danish at around 30-40 LIX. I actually read the entire Indfødsretsprøven læremateriale on my Kindle - it was challenging as I had to check words quite often, but the Danish Kindle Dictionary that I built made the task more accessible and enjoyable.

How to Check the LIX Score of Any Danish Book (Step-by-Step)

Option 1 (which I prefer): Use online resources

  1. Visit online websites where you can preview digital versions of a book: bibliotek.dk, saxo.com, bog-ide.dk etc.
  2. Find the book and check if it has a sample text. E.g. https://bibliotek.kk.dk/reader?identifier=9788702442762;
  3. Get 1-2 pages of text (without dialogue) and copy-paste them in an online tool that calculates the LIX tal for you. 


Option 2: Find physical books at the library

It's not always possible to find online versions of books, and especially not samples. An alternative is to use physical books to grab your sample text.

1. Go to a library or book shop

2. See if any book catches your attention

3. Open the book and take photos of 1-2 pages full of text (no dialogue)

4. Most smartphones these days have a function where you can select the text from a picture. Open the photo and select the text.

5. Copy paste the text in an online tool that calculates the LIX tal for you.


Examples of LIX tal calculators:



Sample from bibliotek.kk.dk - Hunger Games (Dødsspillet)



How to Know If a Danish Book Is Right for Your Level (The 5-to-12 Word Rule)

At the beginning, you have no idea what LIX is suitable for you. To get a feeling of where you are, read the sample text and see how comfortable you are with it. Compare your subjective feeling against the LIX tal you just calculated and the table description of the difficulty levels. If the text feels challenging but attainable, then the book is suitable. You don’t want to go too easy nor too difficult. A rule of thumb is to count how many words you don’t know on a page. 


  • Under 5 words: too easy and comfort zone - you read fairly easily and learn some new words here and there
  • 5-12 unknown words per page is the sweet spot. It should be enjoyable and you should be able to build a flow in reading.
  • 12-20: the book might be too difficult to be enjoyable - probably doable with a dictionary, it’s just that it might be too tiring.
  • I don’t recommend choosing a book with more than 20 unknown words per page, you won’t enjoy it and you won’t learn much.


Three Final Practical Tips to Read Faster and Build Danish Vocabulary


  1. It’s probably better to start low, build confidence and then work your way up. Focus on books that you find fun, engaging and interesting. Don’t get too caught up in the numbers.
  2. Use both audio book and reading, either at the same time or separately. This is the perfect combo.
  3. If you have a Kindle, use the Danish Dictionary for Kindle, available in Danish-Danish or Danish-English.


References & Useful Danish Reading Resources