How to Get Read Confidence
Read confidence in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) refers to the level of certainty or reliability that the OCR system assigns to the accuracy of the text it has recognized in an image or document. It is a measure of how confident the OCR system is that the recognized text is correct.
A high confidence score indicates a high degree of certainty that the recognition is accurate, while a low confidence score suggests that the recognition may be less reliable.
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How to get Read Confidence
- Download a C# library to access read confidence
- Prepare the targeted image and PDF document
- Access the Confidence property of the OCR result
- Retrieve the confidence of pages, paragraphs, lines, words, and characters
- Check the Choices property for alternative word choices
Get Read Confidence Example
After performing OCR on the input image, the confidence level of the text is stored in the Confidence property. Utilize the 'using' statement to automatically dispose of objects after use. Add documents such as images and PDFs with the OcrImageInput
and OcrPdfInput
classes, respectively. The Read
method will return an OcrResult
object that allows access to the Confidence property.
:path=/static-assets/ocr/content-code-examples/how-to/tesseract-result-confidence-get-confidence.cs
using IronOcr;
// Instantiate IronTesseract
IronTesseract ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract();
// Add image
using var imageInput = new OcrImageInput("sample.tiff");
// Perform OCR
OcrResult ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(imageInput);
// Get confidence level
double confidence = ocrResult.Confidence;
Imports IronOcr
' Instantiate IronTesseract
Private ocrTesseract As New IronTesseract()
' Add image
Private imageInput = New OcrImageInput("sample.tiff")
' Perform OCR
Private ocrResult As OcrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(imageInput)
' Get confidence level
Private confidence As Double = ocrResult.Confidence
Get Read Confidences at Different Levels
Not only can you retrieve the confidence level of the entire document, but you can also access the confidence levels of each page, paragraph, line, word, and character. Furthermore, you can obtain the confidence of a block, which represents a collection of one or more paragraphs located closely together.
:path=/static-assets/ocr/content-code-examples/how-to/tesseract-result-confidence-confidence-level.cs
// Get page confidence level
double pageConfidence = ocrResult.Pages[0].Confidence;
// Get paragraph confidence level
double paragraphConfidence = ocrResult.Paragraphs[0].Confidence;
// Get line confidence level
double lineConfidence = ocrResult.Lines[0].Confidence;
// Get word confidence level
double wordConfidence = ocrResult.Words[0].Confidence;
// Get character confidence level
double characterConfidence = ocrResult.Characters[0].Confidence;
// Get block confidence level
double blockConfidence = ocrResult.Blocks[0].Confidence;
' Get page confidence level
Dim pageConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Pages(0).Confidence
' Get paragraph confidence level
Dim paragraphConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Paragraphs(0).Confidence
' Get line confidence level
Dim lineConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Lines(0).Confidence
' Get word confidence level
Dim wordConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Words(0).Confidence
' Get character confidence level
Dim characterConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Characters(0).Confidence
' Get block confidence level
Dim blockConfidence As Double = ocrResult.Blocks(0).Confidence
Get Character Choices
Apart from the confidence level, there is another interesting property called Choices. Choices contain a list of alternative word choices and their statistical relevance. This information allows the user to access other possible characters.
:path=/static-assets/ocr/content-code-examples/how-to/tesseract-result-confidence-get-choices.cs
using IronOcr;
using static IronOcr.OcrResult;
// Instantiate IronTesseract
IronTesseract ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract();
// Add image
using var imageInput = new OcrImageInput("Potter.tiff");
// Perform OCR
OcrResult ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(imageInput);
// Get choices
Choice[] choices = ocrResult.Characters[0].Choices;
Imports IronOcr
Imports IronOcr.OcrResult
' Instantiate IronTesseract
Private ocrTesseract As New IronTesseract()
' Add image
Private imageInput = New OcrImageInput("Potter.tiff")
' Perform OCR
Private ocrResult As OcrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(imageInput)
' Get choices
Private choices() As Choice = ocrResult.Characters(0).Choices
Retrieved Information

Frequently Asked Questions
What does read confidence mean in OCR?
Read confidence in OCR refers to the level of certainty or reliability assigned by the OCR system regarding the accuracy of the text it has recognized. A high score indicates reliable text recognition, while a low score suggests possible inaccuracies.
How can I start using a C# library to obtain OCR read confidence?
Begin by downloading the IronOCR library from NuGet. Prepare your images or PDF documents for processing, and use the Read
method to access the Confidence
property from the OcrResult
object.
How do I retrieve the confidence level of recognized text in C#?
To retrieve the confidence level of recognized text, use IronOCR's Read
method, which returns an OcrResult
object. This object includes a Confidence
property that indicates the accuracy level of the text.
Can I check the confidence levels for different parts of a document?
Yes, IronOCR allows you to check confidence levels for various parts of a document, including pages, paragraphs, lines, words, and characters. This provides a detailed accuracy assessment of the OCR process.
What are character choices in OCR?
Character choices in OCR provide a list of alternative word choices and their statistical relevance. This feature helps users access other possible characters recognized by the OCR system, offering additional insights into the recognition process.
How is the confidence property used in a C# OCR library?
The Confidence
property in a C# OCR library indicates the accuracy level of recognized text. It provides a numerical score that represents the OCR system's certainty about the recognition accuracy.
Is it possible to access block-level confidence in a C# OCR library?
Yes, you can access block-level confidence using IronOCR. A block represents a collection of closely located paragraphs, and its confidence level can be checked to evaluate the accuracy of text recognition at this level.
What is the purpose of the Choices property in OCR?
The Choices
property offers alternative word choices and their confidence scores. This helps users understand other potential text interpretations provided by the OCR system, enhancing the assessment of recognized text.
How do I implement OCR with confidence levels in C#?
Implement OCR with confidence levels in C# by using the IronOCR library. Set up your environment, prepare your input documents, and utilize the Read
method to obtain an OcrResult
object, from which you can access the Confidence
property.
What steps should I follow to assess read confidence using a C# OCR library?
To assess read confidence, download the IronOCR library, prepare the documents for OCR processing, use the Read
method to obtain an OcrResult
, and access the Confidence
property to evaluate the accuracy of recognized text.