How Many Words Do You Know For Rice?

by Marisa

Looking to procrastinate with a clear - even virtuous - conscience? Look no further than FreeRice.com. Launched on October 7th by John Breen, creator of TheHungerSite.com and Poverty.com, FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice via the United Nations World Food Program for every vocabulary question you answer correctly. And those grains add up: As of November 27, FreeRice.com has donated 4,181,025,950 grains of rice - enough to feed more than 200,000 people for one day.

So, how do you play - er, help? When you first visit FreeRice.com, a randomly selected vocabulary word with four possible definitions will appear on your screen. The program then adjusts its difficulty based on whether you answer correctly: three correct answers in a row raise your "level" and one incorrect answer lowers it. With an impressive arsenal of terms, and difficulty levels appropriate for everyone from children to college professors (50 is the highest level, though it's rare to score above a 48), FreeRice.com is a satisfying visit for academes and altruists alike. Just take heed, according to the site's disclaimer, exercising your social conscience on FreeRice.com just might make you smarter. How many procrastinatory pleasures can claim that?

| 11/29/07 | News

Hey! Great idea, especially for us "word nuts." Now we're not just wasting our time with games, but rather aiding humanity.

Comments

A friend of mine just sent me this site a few days ago. I have totally enjoyed it and as a result have spent hours playing it. Not only is it an intellectual challenge but I'm happy I have fed hundreds of people with free rice. You've done a great service for starving people by spreading the word about this game and site. Thanks.
Barbara T.

Comments

Not only a good idea,one friend said he
has been sending rice non stop. He thinks he
has sent a years rice harvest.
It is unreal how this small machine can do
big things good or bad. BE GOOD Dan