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Colour Clash: free Stroop test game online, 60 seconds
Is the word naming its own ink colour? Decide in a split second, again and again.
What is Colour Clash?
Skip shows a colour word printed in a coloured ink. Does the word name its own ink? Answer Match or Clash as fast as you can for 60 seconds. Fast answers and streaks score more; a wrong answer costs 2 seconds. Pick Easy (4 colours), Medium (5) or Hard (6).
Colour Clash is a free Stroop test game with Skip. A colour word like RED appears printed in an ink colour, maybe red, maybe blue. Your job is to say whether the word names its own ink: Match or Clash. It sounds easy until your brain insists on reading the word.
You have 60 seconds. Fast answers earn a speed bonus, right answers in a row build a multiplier up to ×4, and a wrong answer costs 2 seconds. Easy uses 4 colours with half the items matching; Medium and Hard add colours and make matches rarer, so you can't just guess Clash. Ink names can be shown under each word, and screen readers hear both the word and its ink.
At a glance
- Category
- Quick Games
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Play time
- 1 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Decide
- Match if the word names the colour of its ink, Clash if it doesn't. Read the ink, not the word.
- Answer
- Tap Match or Clash, or press ← (or M) for Match and → (or C) for Clash.
- Time
- You have 60 seconds. A wrong answer costs 2 seconds and resets your streak.
- Score
- Each right answer scores 10, 12 or 15 points by level plus up to 10 for speed, multiplied by your streak: ×2 after 5 in a row, ×3 after 10, ×4 after 15.
Scoring
Each right answer scores 10 (Easy), 12 (Medium) or 15 (Hard) points plus up to 10 for answering within 2 seconds, multiplied by your streak: ×2 after 5 right in a row, ×3 after 10, ×4 after 15.
The run lasts 60 seconds. A wrong answer costs 2 seconds and resets your streak. Your best score is kept in this browser.
What it trains
- Inhibitory control
- Holding back the urge to read the word instead of judging the ink.
- Processing speed
- Deciding Match or Clash in a split second, again and again.
- Focus under pressure
- Keeping a streak alive while the clock runs down.
Strategy and tips
- Look at the ink first
- Notice the colour before you read the word; the word is the trap.
- Blur your eyes a little
- A soft focus makes the colour stand out more than the letters.
- Keep your thumbs ready
- On a keyboard, rest on ← and →; on a phone, keep both thumbs over the buttons.
- Protect the streak
- A ×4 multiplier is worth more than a few fast guesses. When unsure, take a split second more.
- Expect matches
- On Hard only about 3 in 10 are matches, but they still come: don't press Clash on autopilot.
Why play Colour Clash?
The Stroop effect shows how automatic reading is: your brain reads the word even when you're asked to ignore it. Colour Clash trains inhibitory control, the skill of holding back an automatic response, along with processing speed and focus under time pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Colour Clash free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
What is the Stroop test?
A classic psychology task where you name the ink colour of a colour word. When the word and the ink disagree, answering takes longer: that delay is the Stroop effect.
Can I play if I'm colour blind?
Yes. Turn on "Ink names" to show each ink's name and a shape under the word, and screen readers announce both the word and the ink.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes: ← or M for Match, → or C for Clash.