diff --git a/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py b/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
index 7c8537a..d2ad84a 100644
--- a/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
+++ b/eth2deposit/key_handling/key_derivation/mnemonic.py
@@ -26,12 +26,27 @@ def _resource_path(relative_path: str) -> str:
 
 def _get_word_list(language: str, path: str) -> Sequence[str]:
     path = _resource_path(path)
-    return open(os.path.join(path, '%s.txt' % language), encoding='utf-8').readlines()
+    dirty_list = open(os.path.join(path, '%s.txt' % language), encoding='utf-8').readlines()
+    return [word.replace('\n', '') for word in dirty_list]
 
 
-def _get_word(*, word_list: Sequence[str], index: int) -> str:
+def _index_to_word(word_list: Sequence[str], index: int) -> str:
+    """
+    Given the index of a word in the word list, return the corresponding word.
+    """
     assert index < 2048
-    return word_list[index][:-1]
+    return word_list[index]
+
+
+def _word_to_index(word_list: Sequence[str], word: str) -> int:
+    try:
+        return word_list.index(word)
+    except ValueError:
+        raise ValueError('Word %s not in BIP39 word-list' % word)
+
+
+def _uint11_array_to_uint(unit_array: Sequence[int]) -> int:
+    return sum([x << i * 11 for i, x in enumerate(reversed(unit_array))])
 
 
 def get_seed(*, mnemonic: str, password: str) -> bytes:
@@ -55,6 +70,49 @@ def get_languages(path: str) -> Tuple[str, ...]:
     return languages
 
 
+def determine_mnemonic_language(mnemonic: str, words_path:str) -> Sequence[str]:
+    """
+    Given a `mnemonic` determine what language it is written in.
+    """
+    languages = get_languages(words_path)
+    word_language_map = {word: lang  for lang in languages for word in _get_word_list(lang, words_path)}
+    try:
+        mnemonic_list = mnemonic.split(' ')
+        word_languages = [word_language_map[word] for word in mnemonic_list]
+        return set(word_languages)
+    except KeyError:
+        raise ValueError('Word not found in mnemonic word lists for any language.')
+
+
+def _get_checksum(entropy: bytes) -> int:
+    """
+    Determine the index of the checksum word given the entropy
+    """
+    entropy_length = len(entropy) * 8
+    assert entropy_length in range(128, 257, 32)
+    checksum_length = (entropy_length // 32)
+    return int.from_bytes(SHA256(entropy), 'big') >> 256 - checksum_length
+
+
+def verify_mnemonic(mnemonic: str, words_path: str) -> bool:
+    languages = determine_mnemonic_language(mnemonic, words_path)
+    for language in languages:
+        try:
+            word_list = _get_word_list(language, words_path)
+            mnemonic_list = mnemonic.split(' ')
+            word_indices = [_word_to_index(word_list, word) for word in mnemonic_list]
+            mnemonic_int = _uint11_array_to_uint(word_indices)
+            checksum_length = len(mnemonic_list)//3
+            checksum = mnemonic_int & 2**checksum_length - 1
+            entropy = (mnemonic_int - checksum) >> checksum_length
+            entropy_bits = entropy.to_bytes(checksum_length * 4, 'big')
+            return _get_checksum(entropy_bits) == checksum
+        except ValueError:
+            pass
+    return False
+
+
+
 def get_mnemonic(*, language: str, words_path: str, entropy: Optional[bytes]=None) -> str:
     """
     Return a mnemonic string in a given `language` based on `entropy`.
@@ -64,7 +122,7 @@ def get_mnemonic(*, language: str, words_path: str, entropy: Optional[bytes]=Non
     entropy_length = len(entropy) * 8
     assert entropy_length in range(128, 257, 32)
     checksum_length = (entropy_length // 32)
-    checksum = int.from_bytes(SHA256(entropy), 'big') >> 256 - checksum_length
+    checksum = _get_checksum(entropy)
     entropy_bits = int.from_bytes(entropy, 'big') << checksum_length
     entropy_bits += checksum
     entropy_length += checksum_length
@@ -72,6 +130,6 @@ def get_mnemonic(*, language: str, words_path: str, entropy: Optional[bytes]=Non
     word_list = _get_word_list(language, words_path)
     for i in range(entropy_length // 11 - 1, -1, -1):
         index = (entropy_bits >> i * 11) & 2**11 - 1
-        word = _get_word(word_list=word_list, index=index)
+        word = _index_to_word(word_list, index)
         mnemonic.append(word)
     return ' '.join(mnemonic)
diff --git a/tests/test_key_handling/test_key_derivation/test_mnemonic.py b/tests/test_key_handling/test_key_derivation/test_mnemonic.py
index d374675..f2d58e5 100644
--- a/tests/test_key_handling/test_key_derivation/test_mnemonic.py
+++ b/tests/test_key_handling/test_key_derivation/test_mnemonic.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ from typing import (
 from eth2deposit.key_handling.key_derivation.mnemonic import (
     get_seed,
     get_mnemonic,
+    verify_mnemonic,
 )
 
 
@@ -30,3 +31,10 @@ def test_bip39(language: str, test: Sequence[str]) -> None:
 
     assert get_mnemonic(language=language, words_path=WORD_LISTS_PATH, entropy=test_entropy) == test_mnemonic
     assert get_seed(mnemonic=test_mnemonic, password='TREZOR') == test_seed
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'test_mnemonic,is_valid',
+    [(test_mnemonic[1], True) for _, language_test_vectors in test_vectors.items() for test_mnemonic in language_test_vectors]
+)
+def test_verify_mnemonic(test_mnemonic: str, is_valid: bool) -> None:
+    assert verify_mnemonic(test_mnemonic, WORD_LISTS_PATH) == is_valid