The words are listed according to how often they are used in the English language. For example, the first ten words are among the 1500 most commonly used words in English. To find your vocabulary, count how many words you know among the words numbered 1 through 40, and multiply by 150. Then count the number of words that you know among words 41 through 70 and multiply by 600. Add the two subtotals together and this is your vocabulary.
(A) Number of words known in 1 through 40:
(B) Number of words known in 41 through 70:
| Vocabulary Level Chart |
| • Below 6000 words - Children up to 9 years old |
| • 6,000 to 9,000 words - Children ages 10 to 16 |
| • 9,000 to 12,000 words - 25% of adults in the U.S. have vocabularies of this size |
| • 12,000 to 18,000 words - Most adults have vocabularies in this range |
| • 18,000 to 24,000 words - Most college graduates and professional people |
| • Over 24,000 words - People at the top levels of their professions |
Note: This test only measures your passive (listening) vocabulary as opposed to your active (speaking) vocabulary. Native speakers generally can use most all of the words they know in their active vocabularies. Many Japanese students feel that their fluency is poor due to limited vocabulary, however, the real cause is most likely a lack of speaking practice. Speaking practice turns passive vocabulary into active vocabulary and improves fluency.
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