subitize

verb /ˈsʌbɪtaɪz/

1. To judge (the number of objects in a group) rapidly, accurately and confidently without counting them.

   intransitive, transitive

   Previous researchers have noted a similarity between the set sizes that adults can estimate rapidly, or subitize, and the set sizes that infants can discriminate: both are less than five items. This similarity has led some to suggest that subitizing is […]

Where it comes from

From Latin subitus (“sudden; unexpected”) + -ize, from the feeling of immediate knowledge.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry subitize (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← subitaneoussublate →

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