Vocabulary item difficulty and word frequency

Abstract

Correlations were computed between frequency and difficulty for the precision-type cooperative Vocabulary Test, for the vocabulary items of the Army General Classification Test, and for the same-opposite-neither test. Results suggest that the nearer a vocabulary test comes to being a measure of range rather than precision of word knowledge, the higher will be the correlation between the frequency values of its key words and the difficulties of its items. It was further indicated that estimates of difficulty based on frequency can be improved markedly by the use of direct judgment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)