Backward Digit Span: The Reverse Digits Game
This backward digit span game shows digits one at a time. When they stop, you enter them in reverse order, last digit first. Each right answer adds one more digit.
- Digits appear one at a time in the panel. Watch them in order.
- Then enter them backward: the last digit first.
- You get 2 tries at each length. One right answer adds a digit; missing every try ends the game.
Keys: digits, Backspace, Enter
Saying the digits in your head, then reading them back from the end, helps most people.
How does the game work?
It starts with 2 digits. Watch them appear in the panel, one after another. Then type them backward on the keypad or your keyboard and press OK.
You get 2 tries at each length. Get one right and the next round adds a digit. Miss every try at a length and the game ends. Your score is the longest sequence you turned around correctly.
Why is backward harder than forward?
Repeating digits in order mostly means holding them. Saying them backward means holding them and working on them at the same time. Researchers think the backward version draws more on the part of memory that manages and changes what you hold. A normative study of adults found that both forward and backward spans tend to be lower at older ages.
Most people find a trick. Some say the digits in their head and read them back from the end. Others group them into pairs. Any method is fine.
How is this different from number memory?
In our number memory test, the whole number shows at once and you type it in the same order. Here the digits come one by one and must be reversed. The two games feel quite different, and many people score lower here.
What does my score mean?
Your score is a count of digits, so higher is better. Clinical digit span tests use set rules, a trained examiner and data from many people of each age. This game has none of those, so it cannot tell you whether your span is typical.
Compare your score only with your own earlier games. Tiredness, noise and practice all move it. If you leave the page while digits are showing, that try starts over and does not count.
Can practice raise my span?
Practice usually helps with the task you practice. A large review of brain-training research found little evidence that such gains spread to other skills. See our brain games page for more.
FAQ
Why are digits never repeated back to back?
Two identical digits in a row are easy to see as one. The game avoids that so every digit is clear.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Type digits, use Backspace to fix one, and press Enter to check.
What else can I try?
The n-back test is another way to hold and update items. Sequence memory uses positions instead of digits.
For reasoning, take our free IQ test. Our guide on how accurate IQ tests are explains why a game score is different. The test score itself is explained on our methodology page. The cookie policy lists what the games save on your device.