The most eville vocabulary test ever

[rjblue]

I didn't get a question about education level, even when I cheated and checked them all. (I didn't submit it, because they ask you not to do that without a genuine effort)

However, I have a bit of doubt of the accuracy of this kind of test. I just did the French one, and it thinks I have a vocabulary of 22,000 words, and I'm nowhere near to bilingual.

[Lynn226]

I scored 19,865 on the French test that Vagabond posted. I read French well, but I would have a difficult time in an actual conversation.

[Prancer]

I went back to the test to grab some of the words listed so that I could make a comment on the above about how we read different romance novels (because mine seem to have alot more sex words and alot less doting)

Most sex words are too common. Although I was looking for swive .

I know strop from reading Barbara Cartland. It was one of those books where Beau Brummell was hanging out. It seems his toillette took a few hours, and I remember his manservant sharpening a razor on a strop. Too bad the test didn't have cravat, fustian, or ton. I would have scored higher.

Reticule. Sennight or fortnight (spent in Bath, of course). Phaeton (high, always high). And of course, there always comes that moment when the hero gives his mistress her conge.

Madeline Hunter's medieval romances are great for obscure words, but I can't remember any of them off the top of my head. She has a Ph.D in art history and I think she must have studied costume, because good Lord, do her characters wear a lot of obscurely named clothing.

[leesaleesa]

Reticule. Sennight or fortnight (spent in Bath, of course). Phaeton (high, always high). And of course, there always comes that moment when the hero gives his mistress her conge

Ah, but you only to get to ride with the Duke in his high perch Phaeton if you're one of the ton. If you're poor, you have to hire a fiacre (if in France) and make your own reticules out of scrap wool from an old cloak. No Worth for you, missy.

[ChelleC]

32,800 I thought I was doing so well until the last column.

[gkelly]

However, I have a bit of doubt of the accuracy of this kind of test. I just did the French one, and it thinks I have a vocabulary of 22,000 words, and I'm nowhere near to bilingual.

Ditto -- I got 15,121 on the French test. Those didn't seem to be in order of frequency though. I guess you're a bit more up to speed on French than I am.

[ChelleC]

I just took the French one and got 21,618.

[Prancer]

Ah, but you only to get to ride with the Duke in his high perch Phaeton if you're one of the ton. If you're poor, you have to hire a fiacre (if in France) and make your own reticules out of scrap wool from an old cloak. No Worth for you, missy.

It matters not, because the Duke will be unable to resist my witty banter and perspicacious insights and will fall madly in love with me in spite of my unfortunate tendre for bluestocking pursuits, and he will marry me even though he is a Duke and I am of humble birth and that never happened. But according to all the books, the Regency period was chockablock with handsome, sardonic Dukes who were just waiting for the right girl to come along (not one of the simpering chits trotted out at deadly dull Almacks--but do get me a voucher and permission to--gasp--waltz!) and make them forget their vows to avoid being legshackled at all costs.

And then I shall be decked out by my French modiste and have my OWN highflyer, because I am all the crack. And you, my dear, will be decidedly de trop. Except that I am all about 21st century mores, so we can still be friends.

.

[rjblue]

The most annoying part of regency-speak is that almost all the modern authors are just peppering their books with the phrases that Heyer used in her books. Her books were meticulously researched, and fairly accurate to each of their time periods, but I've seen some modern authors have scenes at afternoon teas and such, and thus clearly have no idea what they're writing about.

[Evilynn]

33700 if I was good about sticking to words I could give a definition for (yay for reading lots and lots of High Fantasy over the years? ). I guess it'd be higher if I picked things I know the ballpark meaning of. (I'm a non-native speaker)

16085 in French. I'm dubious about that though, I took French for 2 years in HS aeons ago and then a refresher at uni, but I'd say my French is somewhere between bad and non existant. I should do a bit better in German though.

[Skittl1321]

Mine was 32,500. I don't read much anymore, but I used to read a ton. However, I taught SAT prep for a few years. Even though I never use the words- I know the definitions for a lot of random ones, and have a bit of a background in latin, which helps me figure out others (though I didn't select any words I didn't directly know).

I would have liked the test to actually require me to define the words. I found myself clicking things and then thinking "wait, I don't really know what it means, I've just seen it before" and unclicking them. So it isn't too accurate.

[emason]

37,800. Not bad, not great.

[leesaleesa]

And you, my dear, will be decidedly de trop.

Piffle. Everyone in the Beau Monde knows you rented rooms in London, and were seen there in August!. That is simply not done! And everyone from Almacks to Whites knows I have been de trop since Hector was a pup.

De trop is a phrase we just don't use enough. I plan to bring it back, tout de suite, with a Cajun flair-Deee-Trow.

[Seregil]

32,800 I thought I was doing so well until the last column.

Me, too. I ended up with 32,700.

[Japanfan]

I took the test twice because the first time I misread the first question to say 'more than one definition'. The second time, it gave me much harder words on the final column - I didn't know a one.

[kylet3]

Ok I know I'm not the dumbest person in the world... but 17,000 Of course I haven't read fiction since high school and I graduated 8 years ago... Now I feel inferior to all you smart FSU people!