Free Italian level test · about 3 minutes
Think you know your Italian level? Let’s put a number on it.
Sixty words, from la casa to la cioccolata. Tap the ones you know. A few of them are made up, so any guessing shows in the score.
- Drawn from the 8,000 most-used Italian words
- Guessing check built in
- Works on your phone
How to answer
- I know it means you could use the word in a sentence.
- Not sure counts as no. Nobody sees your answers but you.
- Some words are invented. Saying yes to those lowers your score.
Keyboard: ← not sure, → I know itOr swipe the card left or right
How it works
How the test works
Six words from every thousand
The 8,000 most-used Italian words are split into eight blocks of 1,000. The test takes six from each, spread across the block, so la casa and la cioccolata both get a say.
Twelve of them are made up
They follow Italian spelling and mean nothing. Everyone says yes to one now and then, usually when it looks like a word they half know.
Your count is corrected
Each made-up word you claim discounts your real answers at the same rate. What remains is the number of words you would actually recognise.
CEFR levels
What your number means
Vocabulary size rises steadily with CEFR level. A1 to C1 are read from the 5,000 most common Italian words. C2 counts all 8,000.
| Level | Words you know | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Under 1,000 | Greetings, numbers, ordering a coffee. Gestures do a lot of the work. |
| A2 | 1,000–1,750 | Shops, directions, slow conversations about familiar things. |
| B1 | 1,750–2,500 | Everyday conversation, your job, your plans. Films with subtitles. |
| B2 | 2,500–3,250 | You can argue a point and follow most of the news. |
| C1 | 3,250–5,000 | You can work in Italian and catch most of the jokes. |
| C2 | 5,000+ | Close to everything. What remains is rare words and style. |
These ranges are our ladder, informed by research. Learners of French tested on the 5,000 most common words knew about 2,200–2,400 of them at B1 (Milton 2010, small samples). Above B2 the edges are our estimate: reading research suggests advanced readers know several thousand word families. Treat the ranges as a guide. Nobody has measured Italian learners this way yet, so these ranges borrow the French figures. Read the study
Inside the bands
What each band looks like
Five words from every block of 1,000, ranked by how often they appear in Italian. The test uses different ones, so nothing here gives it away.
Words 1–1,000
- la casahouse, home
- mangiareto eat
- il librobook
- bellobeautiful
- il mesemonth
Words 1,001–2,000
- l'aereoplane
- l'amicafriend (female)
- la promessapromise
- enormehuge
- il giudiziojudgement
Words 2,001–3,000
- la birrabeer
- la laureauniversity degree
- il fidanzatoboyfriend
- la calmacalm
- l'altezzaheight
Words 3,001–4,000
- la pennapen
- la biciclettabicycle
- la tastierakeyboard
- la collaglue
- il diariodiary
Words 4,001–5,000
- la vascabathtub
- la spinathorn; plug
- il pinopine
- la scossashock, jolt
- portatileportable
Words 5,001–6,000
- il limonelemon
- la gabbiacage
- il polsowrist; pulse
- la lampadalamp
- timidoshy
Words 6,001–7,000
- il bottonebutton (on clothes)
- la vaccacow
- l'aperitivoaperitif
- il soprannomenickname
- lo splendoresplendour
Words 7,001–8,000
- la cioccolatahot chocolate
- la barzellettajoke
- il mosaicomosaic
- egoistaselfish
- la spiralespiral
Word ranks from wordfreq, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, grouped by dictionary form.
Questions
Questions about the test
How accurate is this test?
Treat your number as a range. It comes from a sample of sixty words, so two attempts can land a few hundred words apart. It’s built to separate levels, like B1 from C1, and it can’t separate 2,410 from 2,450.
Why are some of the words fake?
To measure guessing. People say yes to words that feel familiar, and made-up words are the only way to see how often that happens. Your score is adjusted for it.
Does vocabulary size really tell me my level?
It tells you a lot. Grammar, listening and speaking all count towards a CEFR level, but studies have found the number of words you know rises with each level in a steady, predictable way.
How long does it take to reach the next level?
It depends on your pace. At 6 new words a day, B1 to B2 takes about 18 weeks. Remembering them takes longer, and that’s the part spaced repetition handles.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It’s free, and your score shows without an account. You only need one if you want to learn the words you missed.
Can I take it again?
As often as you like. The words come in a different order every time.
Why lo scherzo and not il scherzo?
Masculine nouns that start with s plus a consonant, z, gn or ps take lo instead of il: lo scherzo, lo zaino. Before a vowel, both lo and la shorten to l’: l’asino, l’usanza.
Does it include dialect words?
No. The test sticks to standard Italian, so words you’d only hear in Naples or Milan won’t come up.
Where does your Italian actually sit?
Sixty words, about three minutes. You’ll know before your coffee goes cold.
