About the Colour Word Test (Stroop)
The word RED printed in blue ink: which do you click? This classic psychology test measures how well you can ignore distractions, and shows how much the mismatch slows you down.
Key features
- 30-second rounds
- Measures correct answers and accuracy
- Shows your personal Stroop effect in milliseconds
- Keyboard shortcuts 1–4
- Best score saved
- Colours chosen to be easy to tell apart
How to play
A colour word appears, printed in a coloured ink. Click the button for the ink colour and ignore what the word says. You have 30 seconds. About a quarter of the words match their ink, so you can't simply assume they're always different.
Why psychologists use it
The Stroop test is one of the best-known tasks in psychology. It's used to study selective attention, the ability to focus on one thing while ignoring another, and cognitive control. Your score varies with tiredness and practice, which makes it a fun way to see how focused you are right now.
Related games
Number memory test, mental math game, and reaction time test.
How to use the Colour Word Test (Stroop)
- Choose a mode or difficulty, or keep the default.
- Press Start (or just click the board) and play with your mouse, finger or keyboard.
- Your score, time and moves are shown as you play.
- Your best score is saved in this browser, so you can try to beat it next time.