Word list memory test

How the test works

Pick a list of 10, 15 or 20 everyday words. The list stays on screen for three seconds per word, so ten words give you 30 seconds, and you can hide it sooner when you feel ready. Then type every word you remember, in any order. Capital letters and plurals still count, and a word you type twice counts once.

What does my score mean?

Your score depends on the list, the time you had and how you studied it, so use it to compare your own attempts rather than to rate your memory. This is a practice exercise, not a medical or diagnostic test. If you or someone close to you is worried about memory loss, talk to a doctor.

How to remember every word

Reading the list over and over holds a few words while the rest slip away. A better way is to turn the words into one moving scene. Say your list starts with anchor, candle, giraffe and umbrella. Picture a heavy anchor crashing down onto a lit candle, the flame leaping onto a giraffe’s neck, and the giraffe snapping open an umbrella to smother it. When you recall, each picture hands you the next word, so one word brings back the one after it.

That is the link method. For longer lists, put each picture at a stop along a route you know well, such as the rooms of your home, and walk the route in your head to read them back. That is the memory palace, and you can sketch one of your own in the palace builder.

Prefer numbers? Try the number memory test, or practise a real list with the grocery challenge.