IQ Metrics
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Category

IQ scores of
writers.

Novelists, essayists and philosophers, and the figures that get retrofitted onto their reputations.

In this category

10 profiles

Each entry opens onto the full story behind the figure.

Voltaire, portrait from the workshop of Nicolas de Largillière
Writers

Voltaire

190Most-cited figure
Portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1828
Writers

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

210Most-cited figure
Isaac Asimov photographed in the 1950s
Writers

Isaac Asimov

160Most-cited figure
The Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare, attributed to John Taylor
Writers

William Shakespeare

210Most-cited figure
Mark Twain, photographed in 1907
Writers

Mark Twain

170Most-cited figure
Edgar Allan Poe photographed in 1849, the year of his death
Writers

Edgar Allan Poe

145Most-cited figure
Oscar Wilde, photographed by Napoleon Sarony, 1882
Writers

Oscar Wilde

140–155Estimated range
Ernest Hemingway, photographed by Lloyd Arnold
Writers

Ernest Hemingway

140Most-cited figure
George Orwell, press photograph from 1943
Writers

George Orwell

170Most-cited figure
Bertrand Russell at home, 1954
Writers

Bertrand Russell

180Most-cited figure

Portrait from the workshop of Nicolas de Largillière, public domain. · Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler (1828), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Phillip Leonian for the New York World-Telegram & Sun (before 1959), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · The Chandos portrait, attributed to John Taylor (c. 1600–1610), public domain. · Photograph, 1907, via the Library of Congress (digital ID cph.3a08820), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Daguerreotype, c. 1849, photographer unknown; restored version, public domain. · Photograph by Napoleon Sarony (1882), Library of Congress, public domain. · Photograph by Lloyd Arnold, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Press photograph by the Branch of the National Union of Journalists (1943), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph, 1954, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

More profiles are on the way. A name joins this category once its figure has been traced and a properly licensed portrait is cleared.

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Questions

Writers IQ, asked and answered

How are IQ scores for writers estimated?

Not by testing anyone. Each figure on this page is inferred from the documented record — published work, contemporary accounts, verified qualifications — using a named method set out under how we read a number. Every profile shows its own workings.

Which of these writers has the highest IQ?

Voltaire holds the highest estimate in this category at 170–190. That ordering comes from the midpoint of each range and it re-sorts itself as profiles are added, so treat it as a convenience rather than a verdict. The full leaderboard ranks every category together.

How many writers profiles are there?

10 so far, and the list grows as figures are traced and portraits licensed. Browse the rest of the section from all categories, or start at the Celebrity IQ hub.

How do I compare my own IQ with these writers?

Get a measured number first. The IQ Metrics assessment is 30 questions and reports on the same 100-mean scale used on every profile here, with a percentile and an ability breakdown. How we score and norm it explains the benchmarking, and average IQ by country shows how the same scale looks across populations.

Where would you
actually land?

Your score, your percentile, your ability breakdown and a printable IIF certificate.

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