# How many words in the average person's vocabulary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638 "2003-02-04T03:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/21 "2013-02-27T10:35:01Z")
Here’s a pretty good test: [http://testyourvocab.com/](http://testyourvocab.com/) ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/22 "2013-02-27T14:43:43Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Zombies have a very limited vocabulary, considering how much brains they are working with. I hear zombies have 32 words for ‘brains.’ ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/23 "2013-02-27T14:58:57Z")
How can this thread have 38,000 views and only 22 replies? Is that some kind of record? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/24 "2013-02-27T15:07:29Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > Here’s a pretty good test: > [http://testyourvocab.com/](http://testyourvocab.com/) Interesting (and the test was kind of fun). They claim that the average is about halfway between **stringy** ’s cite of 45K and **Epimetheus** ’s cite of 10K. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/25 "2013-02-28T00:33:48Z")
I’ll eat my hat if any two posters can agree on the same definition of “word”. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/26 "2013-02-28T02:38:47Z")
> [@Kirosaka](#): > > 100 is terribly low, even lower then the average american’s vocabulary and believe me, **the average american has a low (excuse me for my words) fucking vocabulary** Certainly not compared to the British or Australians. I have found Americans to be far better communicators than other English speakers. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/27 "2013-02-28T05:47:52Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > I’ll eat my hat if any two posters can agree on the same definition of “word”. I agree with you 100%. (Whatever your definition may be.) Now for the hat-eating… ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/28 "2013-02-28T07:41:38Z")
> [@j\_sum1](#): > > I agree with you 100%. (Whatever your definition may be.) > > Now for the hat-eating… I’ve never come up with a definition that I agree with myself – so my hat is safe so far. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/29 "2013-02-28T08:36:13Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > Certainly not compared to the British or Australians. I have found Americans to be far better communicators than other English speakers. Interesting observation, I for one would like to know how you came to draw such a conclusion. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/30 "2013-02-28T08:45:12Z")
Similar thread on sister site. [Here.](http://www.giraffeboards.com/showthread.php?t=30489&highlight=vocabulary) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/31 "2013-02-28T22:44:27Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Interesting observation, I for one would like to know how you came to draw such a conclusion. > > :dubious: The second amendment helps. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/32 "2013-02-28T23:18:27Z")
two weeks ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638/33 "2013-02-28T23:35:34Z")
For the first question – I have a 173,000 entry word list in a text file. I just drew 40 random words from it and I knew 30 of them, so I guess I know in the ballpark of 140,000 words. My vocabulary is probably pretty standard for an educated native speaker (not poor but not freakish), so there’s my vote: –\> about 140,000 words [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-words-in-the-average-persons-vocabulary/152638.md?page=1)