How Many Words do you REALLY Know?

A clever online test lets you work out how vast – or not – your vocabulary really is.

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium designed the quick-fire quiz that sees users distinguish real words from made-up ones – and the results are quite surprising.

The test, which has been taken more than a million times to date, has found that the average English speaker knows around 42,000 words by aged 20.

To try it for yourself, click on the box below. You fill in your details and 100 letter sequences flash up on the screen. If you know the word press J, and if not press F.

But be prepared as some of the words can be quite unusual – including asymptotically, encephalography and pawl.

Once you’re given your score, you’ll find a list of the words you didn’t guess correctly, along with their definitions.

Take the Quiz