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New list every day · 3 levels
Could you shop without the list?
You get a few seconds with a shopping list. Then it disappears and you have to pick its items out from a shelf full of others. Most people are surprised where they top out.
This is one round of a game Cognilo calls Market Run
We make Cognilo, a calm daily puzzle game for adults. Each day it serves the Daily 5: five short games across memory, focus, logic, numbers, spatial and language, picked for your level. One of them, Market Run, has you remember a list, keep to a budget and adapt when things change.
- About six minutes a day, untimed by default.
- A clear result and a practical tip after each round.
- No streaks to break: Rhythm counts days per week, with Grace and Vacation for busy weeks.
- No account, no ads, no tracking. Works offline.
Tricks that actually raise your score
- Group by aisle. “Dairy: milk, butter, cheese. Veg: carrots, onions.” Three groups of three are easier to hold than nine separate words.
- Make a ridiculous picture. A banana pouring milk over a loaf of bread sticks far better than the words do. The stranger the better.
- Walk the shop in your head. Put each item somewhere along your usual route: the door, the bread aisle, the till. This is the old “memory palace” method, and it works for lists of any length.
- Say it, don’t just read it. Reading aloud uses your hearing as well as your eyes.
What’s a good score?
Short-term memory is often described as holding about four chunks at a time, which is why a 6-item list feels easy and 12 feels like a wall without a trick. A perfect Big Shop with no wrong picks usually means you grouped the items without noticing. False picks matter as much as misses: a basket with things you didn’t need is still a wrong shop.
This is a game, not a clinical memory test. If you’re worried about memory changes, talk to a doctor. Each level has its own list for the day, the same for everyone on that date; practice lists are random.
More memory games: verbal memory test and number memory test.
Questions people ask
How many items can most people remember from a list?
Without a trick, people often manage around five to seven items from a short glance. Grouping items or making a mental picture can push that well past ten.
What is the best way to memorise a shopping list?
Group items by aisle or type, then picture them in places along your route through the shop. Both reduce how many separate things you have to hold.
Is there a new list every day?
Yes. Each level has a daily list that is the same for everyone on that date. After your first try you can play random practice lists.
Is this a test for memory problems?
No. It is a game. Sleep, stress and distraction all affect the result. If you are concerned about your memory, speak to a doctor.
Related
- Try a one-minute n-back working memory roundTry a free n-back working memory task in your browser. Choose 1-back, 2-back or 3-back, play a one-minute round and see your hits, misses and false alarms.
- Chimp test memory gamePlay the chimp test free in your browser. Numbers flash on a grid, then hide. Tap the squares in order from memory and see how many you can hold.
- Digit span memory testFree digit span memory game: watch a string of numbers, then type it back, forwards or backwards. It gets one digit longer each time. No sign-up, nothing saved.
- Lumosity alternativeLumosity is the best-known brain training app. If you want a calmer, untimed daily puzzle session with no account and no tracking, compare it with Cognilo here.