English
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РусскийHow many English words do you know?
Check every word you know at least one meaning of — we’ll estimate the size of your English vocabulary and match it to a level. About two minutes, no signup.
How it works
The list holds 80 English words, from everyday to very rare, sampled across the frequency ranks of the language.
Check a word only if you could give at least one of its meanings. Be honest — nobody is grading you.
From the share of words you know at each frequency level we estimate your total passive vocabulary.
Check a word only if you could give at least one of its meanings.
Not knowing these words is normal — even native speakers rarely use them.
Your result
words — the estimated size of your passive English vocabulary
This estimates passive vocabulary — words you recognize, not necessarily use. The method is frequency sampling with extrapolation, the same as classic vocabulary tests.
How the test estimates your vocabulary
Words in a language can be ranked by how often they occur. The test samples 80 words across those ranks — from the everyday core to words most native speakers rarely meet.
For each frequency band we take the share of words you checked and extend it over the whole band; summed up, that is the size of your passive vocabulary. With 80 samples the number is an estimate, not a measurement — but it is stable enough to track progress if you answer the same way each time.
What counts as a word in English
English packs many meanings into few words: each of the hundred most common words carries a dozen senses on average. For the test that works in your favour — knowing any one meaning of a word counts. Phrasal verbs like “give up” are separate units of meaning, but the test uses single words only.
Average vocabulary size: reference points
Passive vocabulary of learners and native speakers, in word families — the same scale the test uses.
| elementary level (A2) | 1 500 – 2 500 |
| intermediate level (B1) | 2 500 – 5 000 |
| upper-intermediate level (B2) | 5 000 – 9 000 |
| advanced level (C1) | 9 000 – 15 000 |
| near-native range (C2) | 15 000 – 20 000 |
| Adult native speaker | 20 000 – 35 000 |
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Questions
How accurate is the test?
Within roughly ±20%. Self-assessment tests are estimates: the honesty of your checks matters more than the math. Taken the same way over time, it tracks progress well.
What counts as “knowing” a word?
You could give at least one of its meanings out of context. You do not need to spell it perfectly or use it in speech.
How many English words do you need?
Around 1,000 words cover most everyday speech, 3,000–5,000 give comfortable comprehension of films and books, and educated native speakers recognize 20,000–35,000.
Why are the last words so strange?
The tail of the list sits at frequency ranks 20,000 and beyond — words even many native speakers rarely use. They measure the upper edge of large vocabularies.
Is the test free?
Yes — free, no signup, right in the browser. You can retake it as often as you like.