Test your vocabulary

[Dion]

Interesting little test...

TestYourVocab.com is part of an American-Brazilian research project to measure vocabulary sizes according to age and education, and particularly to compare native learning rates with foreign language classroom learning rates.

It functions by means of a quick three-part test: the first part with a handful of words to determine the general vocabulary level, a second part with a larger but narrower selection of words to determine the vocabulary level with greater precision, and a final (optional) survey to collect statistical information.

Based on over 200,000 participations so far, we've got some initial statistics already. Most Native English adult speakers who have taken the test fall in the range 20,000–35,000 words. Click here for a full breakdown by age (opens in new tab/window).

http://testyourvocab.com/

My results.....

Your total vocabulary size is estimated to be: 21,500 words

[photon]

Wow, 32,500 words. Reading works!

[Caged Great]

42000 for me

[simonsays]

38500

[Radio]

24300...huh...ugh

[V]

Sweet, 22,900. I'm dum.

[Temporary_User]

42,000

[To Be Quite Honest]

6, I know 6 words...

approximately 29100 wordz.

[3 Justin 3]

What the hell does leitmotiv mean? Looks Russian.

Doesn't matter really because I am rather stupid. 17,400 words, bring on the awful.

[TurnedTheCorner]

22,600

[underGRADFlame]

20,600

29,900.... Puckish? Was that one of the words?

[Mike F]

25,700

I read lots, but if I come across a word I don't know like "deracinate" I just skip it and move on without bothering to look it up, pausing only briefly to silently shake my head at the pompousness of the author.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

What the hell does leitmotiv mean? Looks Russian.

Doesn't matter really because I am rather stupid. 17,400 words, bring on the awful.

That's my favorite word and it's German. You can think of it like the theme song that plays for a hero in a TV show or movie. IE: Superman's theme can be considered his leitmotiv if it plays when he appears or is doing something Superman-like. It comes from leitmotif in operas where a certain musical score plays for certain characters. It's kind of like a "hero's theme" or personal soundtrack.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to have a band and call it Leitmotiv.

[Jedi Ninja]

171,476

[Hack&Lube]

38,100 if I'm allowed guesses that turned out right. 32,000 if not.

But I have to say that I guessed at the definition of a lot of words based on the fact that they were actually French or had Latin roots I could figure out and hadn't actually read them in English before and didn't know what they meant unless I guessed and checked to see if I was accurate.

I guessed about 8 of those right. I tried again with those unchecked and I was 32,000 so that makes a big difference apparently.

IE: Legerdemain = "Light of Hand" so I guessed "Sleight of Hand".

[Daradon]

29,700

Would be more interesting if it was more of a test and not just an 'on your honor' sort of thing.

As Hack said, there were several words I could have guessed at given their apparent roots or country of origin, but this would be the 'for sure' list. I'm usually quite good at figuring out a word based on context and appearance.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

42000 for me

Being mendacious? Or just an opportunity for braggadocio?

[Weiser Wonder]

27,800.

I hope they don't plan on using this research to come to any sort of conclusion. I'm sure a lot of people will lie. I was very tempted.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

Being mendacious? Or just an opportunity for braggadocio?

Let's defenestrate him. He knows too much.