How many words do you know?
Test your receptive and productive vocabulary in different languages. What percentage of the 5000 most frequent words have you mastered?
For each language, you can test your “receptive” or “productive” vocabulary by clicking on the respective term.
Note: In order to make our vocabulary tests even better and more reliable, we carry out regular statistical analyses on the quality of individual test items. For this purpose, we store the results of our free online vocabulary tests. No personal or technical data is collected. By using our vocabulary tests, you consent to the storage of your test results.
Background
Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
Vocabulary knowledge is an important component in learning a foreign language.
Research in this area assumes the existence of so-called vocabulary thresholds.
It is therefore assumed that there are vocabulary sizes that are required to cope with tasks in the foreign language and, for example, to be able to read and understand unfamiliar authentic texts without losing too much time
Vocabulary Level – Word Frequency
The vocabulary tests aim to assess participants’ vocabulary knowledge on levels of 1000 words each. These levels are based on high-frequency vocabulary lists.
The results indicate the corresponding reading levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Development
Vorbild: Vocabulary Levels Tests
The tests were modeled on the Vocabulary Levels Tests developed by Paul Nation for English and are based on the assumption that frequent words are acquired and mastered earlier than less frequent words.
Productive and receptive vocabulary levels are assessed separately. The term receptive (or passive) vocabulary refers to the words that a learner can understand – or whose meaning he or she can deduce using strategies – while the term productive (or active) vocabulary refers to the words that the learner is able to actively use. In general, a learner’s receptive vocabulary is significantly larger than his or her productive vocabulary.
The productive test comprises 90 samples, the receptive one includes 150.
Each of the tests consists of five general vocabulary subtests, which measure the vocabulary size on the levels 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000.
The vocabulary levels of German are based on the frequency lists developed from the Herder/BYU-corpus.
The test section “The 1000 most frequent words in German” includes vocabulary with a frequency rank ranging from 1 (the most frequent word in the corpus) to 1000.
“The 2000 most frequent words in German” tests the learner’s knowledge of words with a frequency rank of 1001 to 2000, and so on.
The words used for the respective distractors, definitions, and surrounding sentences also come from either the tested level or lower levels.
This website can be used for testing a learner’s knowledge of the 5000 most frequent words in the following languages:
- Arabisch
- Chinesisch
- Deutsch
- Englisch
- Französisch
- Italienisch
- Japanisch
- Koreanisch
- Portugiesisch
- Russisch
- Spanisch
- Türkisch
- Finnisch
- Niederländisch
- Tschechisch
Changelog
All changes and updates made to the vocabulary tests are documented here. Updates and uploads are recorded across all tests in the Activity log, while the two categories below (Receptive and Productive) contain documentation at test level.
The test results are psychometrically evaluated at regular intervals using classic and/or probabilistic test analyses, and the results are summarized and published in technical reports (see here, for example).
It is possible that certain questions (items) of the vocabulary test are statistically conspicuous. These items marked as conspicuous are inspected in the course of a revision round and revised if necessary.
An item can be conspicuous in a variety of ways; it can be clearly too easy or too difficult for the level, not sufficiently clear or insufficiently differentiate between better and worse test takers, i.e. have a low discriminatory power. The wording of the definitions/sentences and the presence of distractors (incorrect answers) can also be decisive for an anomaly.
During the assessment, everything is considered, evaluated on a sound basis and the items are adjusted accordingly if necessary. The remaining items of the test are then also assessed to ensure that, for example, the content requirements (e.g. balance, fairness and sensitivity) continue to be met. Further changes may be necessary here, which may also affect items that are not statistically conspicuous.
The following changes are documented in the changelog:
Items have been edited, e.g. the definition has been reworded or spelling mistakes have been corrected
Items have been replaced, a completely new word is chosen at random and a new definition is written
A distractor has been replaced, e.g. because it is too often confused with the correct solution.
If you have any questions about individual versions or revisions, our team will be happy to help you (info[at]itt-leipzig.de)
In the activity log, we document all revisions to the vocabulary tests across all tests. The vocabulary test uploads and updates are listed by date (in descending order).
New vocabulary test versions uploaded:
Receptive: Arabic V1.2, German V1.2, French V1.2, Italian V1.2, Russian V1.2, Spanish V1.2
Productive: German V1.2, French V1.2, English V1.2, Spanish V1.2
The activity log and the changelog are now implemented in the homepage. From now on, all changes and updates will be documented here.
Upload of the new vocabulary test Ukrainian V1.0
Upload of the new vocabulary tests Czech V1.0, Dutch V1.0 and Finnish V1.0
Upload of two new vocabulary tests Turkish V1.0 and Korean V1.0
Relaunch of the ITT e.V. homepage, revision of all vocabulary tests available to date (Arabic V1.1, Chinese V1.1, German V1.1, English V1.1, French V1.1, Italian V1.1, Japanese V1.1, Portuguese V1.1, Russian V1.1, Spanish V1.1). Another update concerns the labels and control elements (buttons), which are now translated into the respective languages. All tests have also been standardized in a user-friendly way.
A fifth level has been added to the Chinese vocabulary test (V1.1).
Arabic
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: five initially conspicuous items were reviewed, of which two items were replaced and one distractor was replaced. A total of six items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Arabic
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Chinese
V1.1 Update 2023-12-18 (currently online)
No Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation-> no change
- Change log: two initially conspicuous items were assessed and classified as not problematic, no change was made.
Content change:
- Addition of a fifth level analogous to the remaining vocabulary tests
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Chinese
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
German
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
Change log:
- two initially conspicuous items were reviewed, a total of three items were edited, including two rewordings of the definitions and one blank space correction.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
English
V1.1 Update 2023-12-18 (currently online)
No Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation-> no change
- Change log: 26 initially conspicuous items were reviewed and classified as not problematic, no changes were made.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
French
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: five initially conspicuous items were assessed, one distractor was replaced and a total of three items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into French
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Italian
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: three initially conspicuous items were reviewed, three items were replaced and 31 items were edited; these were mainly content adjustments, shortening or clarification of definitions.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Italian
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Japanese
Portuguese
Russian
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: seven initially conspicuous items were assessed, of which three distractors were replaced and three items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Russian
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Spanish
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: eight initially conspicuous items were assessed, of which two distractors were replaced and three items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Spanish
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Arabic
V1.1 2019-05-01 (currently online)
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Arabic
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Chinese
V1.1 2019-05-01 (currently online)
Content change:
- Addition of a fifth level analogous to the remaining vocabulary tests
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Chinese
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
German
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: four initially conspicuous items were reviewed and six items were edited; these were mainly clarifications of the definitions.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
English
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: five initially conspicuous items were reviewed, eleven items were replaced and 17 items were edited, mainly to adapt the content of the definitions to updated sensitivity specifications.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
French
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: 33 initially conspicuous items were reviewed, two items were replaced and 19 items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into French
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
V1.2 2023-12-18 (currently online)
Content change:
- Inspection and revision based on statistical evaluation
- Change log: 18 initially conspicuous items were assessed, of which 9 items were edited.
Technical change:
- Relaunch of the ITT homepage
- Translation of the labels and controls into Spanish
- User-friendly standardization of the tests
- Adjustment of the passing threshold per level (cut score) from 85% to 80%
Structure and Application
General Information
Below, you can find information on the structure and application of the vocabulary tests, as well as examples of productive and receptive question formats.
The productive test consists of 18 cloze items per subtest. The target word is surrounded by one or two sentences.
As many letters are provided as are needed to disambiguate the item.
Example: In Britain, children must go to s________ between the ages of four and sixteen.
The receptive test contains ten items per subtest. From a drop-down menu with six words, three have to be chosen that match the given words or phrases.
This type of task offers several advantages:
- For one, the existence of three distractors, which belong to the same frequency level as the target words, allows a large number of words to be tested within a short time (60 per level).
- In addition, participants have to apply multiple kinds of knowledge in solving the tasks, while the guessing probability is kept low.
Example:
Time limit
There is a time limit of 30 minutes for each test.
Tasks should be completed without using a dictionary.
Test results
80% of points per level (1000, 2000, etc.) are needed for a level to be counted as passed. 80% equate to:
- 24 out of 30 points per level on the receptive test
- 14 out of 18 points per level on the productive test
After completing all tasks, the window “Test Results” will appear. Under “Open details” the score for each level is listed.
Interpretation
Which conclusion do the test results allow?
The results achieved on the vocabulary tests allow conclusions as to participants’ reading proficiency level as laid down in the CEFR.
- 1000 and 2000 >> A2
Successful completion of levels 1000 and 2000 indicates a reading level of A2. - 3000 >> B1
Knowledge of the most frequent 3000 words suggests a reading level of B1. - 4000 and 5000 >> B2
Completing all five levels implies a reading level of B2.
Which conclusions do the test results NOT allow?
The results do not allow any specific conclusions as to the participants’ proficiency in speaking, listening, or writing. The productive test only assesses active vocabulary knowledge, not productive language proficiency in general.
Word Lists
The following are some of the publications that have been used as reference materials in the development of the vocabulary tests:
Baudot, Jean (1992): Fréquences d’utilisation des mots en français écrit contemporain. Montréal: Presses de l’Univ. de Montréal.
Buckwalter, Tim; Parkinson, Dilworth B. (2011): A frequency dictionary of Arabic. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Davies, Mark; Davies, Kathy Hayward (2018): A frequency dictionary of Spanish. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Davies, Mark; Gardner, Dee (2011): A frequency dictionary of contemporary American English. Word sketches, collacates, and thematic lists. London, New York: Routledge.
Davies, Mark; Preto-Bay, Ana Maria Raposo (2008): A frequency dictionary of Portuguese. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Jones, Randall L.; Tschirner, Erwin (2011): A frequency dictionary of German. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Lonsdale, Deryle; Le Bras, Yvon (2011): A frequency dictionary of French. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Šarov, Sergej A.; Umanskaya, Elena; Wilson, James (2013): A frequency dictionary of Russian. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Tono, Yukio; Makawa, Kikuo; Yamazaki, Makoto (2013): A frequency dictionary of Japanese. Core vocabulary for learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Tschirner, Erwin (2008): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Englisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Tschirner, Erwin (2008): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Französisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Tschirner, Erwin (2008): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Spanisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Tschirner, Erwin (2010): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Italienisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Tschirner, Erwin (2010): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Portugiesisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Tschirner, Erwin (2010): Lextra. Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Russisch. Nach Themen. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Xiao, Richard; Rayson, Paul; McEnery, Tony (2009): A Frequency Dictionary of Mandarin Chinese. Core Vocabulary for Learners. London, New York: Routledge.
Further Reading
Here you can find suggestions for further reading on the subject of vocabulary:
Teaching and Learning Vocabulary
Nation, Paul (1990)
New York: Newbury House
Learning Vocabulary in another Language
Nation, Paul (2001)
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
A Vocabulary Size Test
Nation, Paul/Beglar, David (2007)
The Language Teacher 31 (7), 9-13.
Available online
Vocabulary
Nation, Paul; Laufer, Batia (2012)
In: Gass, S./Mackey, A. (Hrsg.): The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. New York: Routledge, 163-176.
Assessing Vocabulary
Read, John (2000)
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Developing and Exploring the Behaviour of Two New Versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test
Schmitt, Norbert; Schmitt, Diane; Clapham, Caroline (2001)
Language Testing 18 (1), 55-88.
Review Article. Instructed Second Language Vocabulary Learning.
Schmitt, Norbert (2008)
Language Teaching Research 12 (3), 329-363.
Available online at: www.norbertschmitt.co.uk
The percentage of words known in a text and reading comprehension
Schmitt, Norbert/Jiang, Xiangying/Grabe, William (2011)
Modern Language Journal 95 (1), S. 26-43.
Available online at: www.norbertschmitt.co.uk
Der Wortschatzstand von Studierenden zu Beginn ihres Anglistikstudiums
Tschirner, Erwin (2004)
Fremdsprachen Lehren und Lernen 33, 114-127
Breadth of Vocabulary and Advanced English Study: An Empirical Investigation.
Tschirner, Erwin (2004)
Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 1 (1), 27-39
Korpora, Häufigkeitslisten, Wortschatzerwerb
Tschirner, Erwin (2005)
In: Heine, A./Hennig, M./Tschirner, E. (Hrsg.): Deutsch als Fremdsprache – Konturen und Perspektiven eines Fachs. München: Iudicium. 133-149
Häufigkeitsverteilungen im Deutschen und ihr Einfluss auf den Erwerb des Deutschen als Fremdsprache
Tschirner, Erwin (2006)
In: Corina, E./Marello, C./Onesti, C. (Hrsg.): Atti del XII Congresso Internationale di Lessicografia. Alessandria: Edizioni dell’ Orso. 1277-1288
Support
The vocabulary tests were developed primarily in the context of the research project on “Assessment Literacy and Skills Development” at the ITT e.V. This project was funded by the Cornelsen publishing house.
