Memory
A number flashes on screen, then disappears. Type it back. Each success adds a digit, so the test quickly finds the limit of your short-term memory for numbers.
Results stay in this browser
Choose a mode
Example
Display time grows with length: one second plus 0.6 seconds per digit.
Longer numbers stay on screen longer, so the test measures memory rather than reading speed.
Digit span tasks have been part of memory research and testing for more than a century.
Phones show a numeric keypad automatically. Computers accept the number row or numpad.
Your answers and scores stay in this browser.
After each answer you see the number and your answer side by side, with mistakes highlighted.
Practice gives three tries per length. Challenge gives one, for a strict test.
The longest number you recalled correctly. This is your digit span on this test.
How it is calculatedLength of the longest correct answer
How many numbers you got exactly right.
How it is calculatedCount of correct answers
Total answers submitted, right or wrong.
How it is calculatedCount of submitted answers
The share of your answers that were fully correct.
How it is calculatedCorrect answers divided by attempts
These bands are site-defined guidance for adults on a desktop computer or a recent phone. They are not population norms and not a diagnosis.
| Band | Range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | 12 or more | Very strong chunking or memory strategy. |
| Excellent | 10-11 | Well above a typical span. |
| Good | 8-9 | A little above the classic span. |
| Average | 6-7 | Close to the famous seven. |
| Needs practice | 5 or fewer | Try grouping digits in pairs. |
In 1956 the psychologist George Miller noted that people can hold about seven items, plus or minus two, in short-term memory. Digit span tests were one of his main examples.
Later research suggests the true limit is closer to four chunks, with clever grouping explaining larger spans.
The test measures short-term verbal memory. Most people silently repeat the digits, which uses a system researchers call the phonological loop.
Because the number is shown visually, attention and encoding speed also play a part.
Turning 5 8 2 1 7 into 58, 217 makes it easier to hold. This is called chunking, and it is why phone numbers are split into groups.
People who score very high almost always chunk, often without noticing.
Sleep, stress, distraction and practice all matter. So does your language: digits with short spoken names are easier to rehearse.
Your span can rise quickly with practice as you discover a strategy, so compare results after a few sessions.
Each number stays on screen for one second plus 0.6 seconds per digit. A 5 digit number is shown for 4 seconds and a 10 digit number for 7 seconds.
Scaling the time with length keeps the test about memory rather than reading speed. Even so, longer numbers become hard quickly, because memory capacity grows much more slowly than display time.
Although the digits appear on screen, most people remember them by saying them silently. This inner voice keeps the sequence alive for a few seconds.
Anything that interferes with that inner voice, such as background speech or trying to talk while you remember, usually lowers your score.
Practice mode gives three attempts at each length, Standard gives two and Challenge gives one. More attempts reduce the effect of an unlucky slip, so the same person often scores a little higher in Practice.
For tracking progress, stick with Standard and compare it only with other Standard sessions.
Your history page shows max digits for every saved session. A rising line over the first week usually reflects a better strategy rather than a bigger memory, and that is perfectly normal.
Once the line flattens, you have probably found your comfortable span for this format. Small day-to-day ups and downs after that mostly reflect sleep, focus and mood.
Digit span is used to study memory capacity, aging and the effects of distraction.
A classroom demonstration of memory limits and chunking strategies.
A quick way to practice holding information in mind, useful for numbers in daily life.
Digit span tasks are part of standardized assessments given by professionals. This online version does not replace them.
Read the number in pairs or triples. Three chunks are easier than nine digits.
Repeat the number in your head until you type it. Rehearsal keeps it fresh.
Memory fades fast. Start typing as soon as the input appears.
Background talk interferes with silent rehearsal more than you might expect.
It is a digit span task. You see a number for a short time and type it back. The number grows until you can no longer recall it.
Each level shows a number with one more digit than the last, starting at 3. After it disappears, you type it and press Enter. You see feedback before the next level.
Usually two to four minutes, depending on how far you get.
Yes. Press P, use the pause button, or switch tabs. The current number is replaced with a new one when you resume.
Any modern browser. Phones show a numeric keypad for typing.
Max digits is your span: the longest number you recalled correctly. Accuracy shows how many answers were right.
Many adults recall around 7 digits. On this site 8 to 9 is Good and 10 or more is Excellent. These are site guidance bands.
Use History in the menu, or View history after a session.
Only in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Reload the page. If the keypad does not appear on a phone, tap the input box.
You can, but then the test no longer measures memory. For a meaningful result, keep your hands away from paper until you type the answer.
A leading zero could be confusing when typing and reading the number back, so every number starts with a digit from 1 to 9.
Most gains come from strategy. Group the digits into pairs or triples, say them silently in a steady rhythm, and type the answer right away. A quiet room and a rested mind also help a lot.
Results depend on age, device, sleep, language, mood and practice. Average several sessions before drawing conclusions. This is not a medical or psychological diagnostic tool.
It takes about a minute. Your results stay private in this browser.