Wait, did that word already come up? A verbal memory test where every answer is just SEEN or NEW
How the test works
One word at a time appears in the middle of the screen. If it has already appeared in this run, tap SEEN; if it is brand new, tap NEW โ within six seconds. Every correct call is a point; a wrong call or a timeout costs one of your three hearts. Lose all three and the run ends with your score.
- Press START. The first word is obviously new โ nothing has appeared yet.
- As the run goes on, old words get mixed back in. From the third word onward there is roughly a 50% chance of a repeat.
- The green bar underneath is your six seconds. Let it run out and the word counts as a miss.
- Correct answers flash green, misses flash pink and tell you what the right call was.
- After three misses you reach the result screen, where a nickname puts you on the global leaderboard.
Rules and scoring
| Start | 3 hearts, score 0 |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 6 seconds per word; a timeout counts as a miss |
| Word pool | About 250 everyday concrete nouns, de-duplicated so no word is secretly two entries |
| Repeat chance | Once three words have been shown, roughly 50% of words are repeats |
| Score | Total correct calls โ they do not have to be consecutive. You need 5 to submit |
| Grades | 60+ "memory-champion", 40-59 "top tier", 25-39 "above average", below that "average" |
What it actually measures
This is a test of recognition memory โ judging whether something in front of you has been encountered before, as opposed to recall, where you have to produce it from nothing. It is why multiple choice feels easier than a blank page: human recognition capacity is far larger than recall capacity.
What makes it hard is not the number of words but interference. As seen words pile up, "feels familiar" and "actually appeared" blur together, and brand-new words start to feel like old friends. That false familiarity is why mistakes cluster late in a long run.
How to last longer
- Turn each word into a picture. When "umbrella" shows up, actually see an umbrella. Images stick far better than letters.
- Link it to the last word. Force the previous word and the current one into one silly sentence and both survive longer.
- Demand evidence, not vibes. Tap SEEN only when you can place it โ "that came right after ladder" โ rather than because it feels familiar.
- Watch out for near-neighbours. Shoe and boot, puppy and kitten: similar words manufacture false familiarity.
- Do not stall. Burning all six seconds still ends in a miss, so decide within three and move on.
Frequently asked questions
Can the same word appear three times?
Yes. Repeats are drawn at random from everything you have seen, so some words come back often. From the second appearance on, SEEN is always the right call.
What if I do not answer in time?
It counts as a miss and costs a heart. Six seconds is deliberately generous for a two-button decision.
What happens when the words run out?
Once the pool of new words is exhausted, everything shown is a repeat. If you get that far you are already well into the top tier.
My record disappeared
The personal best is stored in this browser, so a new device or cleared site data resets it. Submitted scores stay on the server.
Related tests
- Digit Span Memory Test โ verbal memory measured as "how many digits".
- Chimp Test โ spatial memory: positions instead of words.
- Sequence Memory Test โ repeat a growing pattern of flashes.
- N-back Test โ working memory you must keep updating.