# Word length vs. lexical factors: Re-examining what causes the word-length effect in serial recognition

## TL;DR

This study shows that the word-length effect in memory tasks is likely caused by lexical factors, not just the number of syllables in words.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that equating words for lexical factors eliminates the word-length effect.

## Key findings

- The word-length effect disappears when short and long words are equated for lexical factors.
- Words with more orthographic and phonological neighbors are better remembered in serial recognition.
- Results challenge the standard account of the word-length effect based on rehearsal and decay.

## Abstract

The word-length effect refers to the finding that memory on many short-term/working memory tasks is better for words with fewer syllables than words with more syllables. The standard account attributes this result to a combination of decay offset by rehearsal: More short words can be rehearsed because they take less time to articulate. However, most studies have confounded length with lexical and other long-term memory factors that covary with length. In this paper, we reexamine word-length effects in serial recognition. Experiment 1 replicated previous findings of a word-length effect when short and long words also differed on numerous other dimensions. Experiment 2 found that when the short and long words were more fully equated, including being equated for orthographic and phonological neighborhood size, the word-length effect disappeared. Experiment 3 confirmed that memory was better for words with more orthographic and phonological neighbors than words with fewer neighbors, showing serial recognition is sensitive to at least some lexical/long-term memory factors. The results provide more evidence against the standard account of the word-length effect and instead are consistent with a growing body of work which shows that lexical and other long-term memory factors affect performance in short-term/working memory tasks.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.3758/s13421-025-01762-5.