translateLANGUAGE · SPEED

SPLIT SECOND

REAL OR FAKE · 1.5 SECONDS

SCORE 0
TIME 60
BEST —
SPLIT SECOND
A 5-letter string flashes on screen.
Tap REAL if it's a genuine word.
Tap FAKE if it's an impostor.
You have 1.5 seconds per word.
PERSONAL BEST: —
leaderboard RANKS
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Expert Tips
Trust your gut: Your brain recognises real words faster than it can reason about them. If it looks wrong at a glance, it probably is — tap FAKE immediately.
Spot the pattern break: Fakes always have exactly one wrong letter. Look for consonant clusters or vowel combos that feel off — FLURB has a plausible start but the ending breaks English rules.
Don't second-guess streaks: Overthinking kills your streak. The 1.5-second window is designed to reward instinct, not analysis.
translate WORD RECOGNITION
bolt LEXICAL SPEED
psychology SNAP JUDGEMENT

Split Second

GOAL

A 5-letter string appears. Decide in 1.5 seconds: is it a real English word, or a plausible-looking fake? Tap REAL or FAKE before time runs out.

RULES

  • Each word gives you 1.5 seconds. Miss the window and it counts as wrong.
  • Fakes are generated by changing one letter of a real word — they look plausible but are not valid words.
  • Build a streak for bonus points. Wrong answers or timeouts reset the streak.

SCORING

+10 per correct answer. Streak bonus: +2 extra for every 3 consecutive correct answers. −5 for wrong or timeout.

Why this sharpens your mind

LEXICAL ACCESS SPEED

Rapid word/non-word discrimination is one of the core measures of reading efficiency. The time pressure forces sub-conscious pattern recognition rather than deliberate spelling — training the same pathway used in fluent reading.