diff --git a/src/sadeedbench/vrr.py b/src/sadeedbench/vrr.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b66868d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/sadeedbench/vrr.py
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+"""WO81 — valid-reading-rate (VRR), the ambiguity-aware metric.
+
+Undiacritized Arabic is an underspecified input: the skeleton is a
+relation over readings, and one-gold DER penalizes every legitimate
+alternative. VRR scores a prediction as valid when it matches ANY
+dictionary-licensed reading of its skeleton. Reported alongside DER —
+never instead of it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+
+# Arabic diacritics: tanwin + harakat + shadda/sukun marks (0610-061A),
+# honorific/annotation marks (064B-065F), superscript alef (0670).
+_HARAKAT = frozenset(
+    chr(c) for c in list(range(0x0610, 0x061B)) + list(range(0x064B, 0x0660))
+    + [0x0670]
+)
+
+
+def strip_harakat(text: str) -> str:
+    """The skeleton: the text with all diacritics removed."""
+    return "".join(ch for ch in text if ch not in _HARAKAT)
+
+
+def build_lexicon(vocalized_forms) -> dict[str, set[str]]:
+    """skeleton -> set of licensed fully-vocalized readings.
+
+    A form with no diacritic is not a reading (it is its own skeleton)
+    and is excluded — otherwise VRR degenerates to 1.0 for any
+    undiacritized prediction.
+    """
+    lex: dict[str, set[str]] = {}
+    for form in vocalized_forms:
+        skeleton = strip_harakat(form)
+        if form == skeleton:
+            continue
+        lex.setdefault(skeleton, set()).add(form)
+    return lex
+
+
+def score_predictions_vrr(preds: list[str],
+                          licensed: list[set[str]]) -> dict:
+    """VRR over rows: valid iff the exact prediction is licensed.
+
+    A skeleton with no known readings can never validate — the row
+    still counts in the denominator (absence of evidence is not
+    validity).
+    """
+    if len(preds) != len(licensed):
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"preds and licensed lengths differ: {len(preds)} vs "
+            f"{len(licensed)}")
+    valid = sum(1 for p, ls in zip(preds, licensed, strict=False) if p in ls)
+    return {
+        "vrr": valid / len(preds) if preds else 0.0,
+        "valid": valid,
+        "total": len(preds),
+        "convention": "row-level exact match against licensed readings; "
+                      "readings built per build_lexicon (>=1 haraka)",
+    }
+
+
+_WORD_RE = re.compile(r"[؀-ۿ]+")
+
+
+def score_text_vrr(src: str, pred: str, lexicon: dict[str, set[str]]) -> tuple[int, int]:
+    """(valid_words, total_words) for one paragraph row.
+
+    A word is valid iff its exact vocalized form is a licensed reading
+    of that word's skeleton. Non-Arabic tokens count as invalid-missing
+    evidence: they enter the denominator (the model must vocalize the
+    Arabic content words; Latin/numeric tokens carry no readings).
+    """
+    src_words = _WORD_RE.findall(src)
+    pred_words = _WORD_RE.findall(pred)
+    if not src_words:
+        return 0, 0
+    valid = 0
+    for sw, pw in zip(src_words, pred_words, strict=False):
+        if pw in lexicon.get(strip_harakat(sw), ()):  # exact licensed reading
+            valid += 1
+    return valid, len(src_words)
diff --git a/tests/test_sadeedbench_vrr.py b/tests/test_sadeedbench_vrr.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f9e0d97b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_sadeedbench_vrr.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+"""WO81 — valid-reading-rate (VRR): a prediction counts when it matches
+ANY dictionary-licensed reading of its skeleton. Single-gold DER
+undercounts legitimate ambiguity; VRR is the ambiguity-aware complement.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from sadeedbench.vrr import build_lexicon, score_predictions_vrr, strip_harakat
+
+# skeleton of "بِكَتاب" (kitab, "with a book")
+VOCALIZED = "بِكِتَاب"
+SKELETON = "بكتاب"
+
+
+def test_strip_harakat_removes_only_diacritics() -> None:
+    assert strip_harakat(VOCALIZED) == SKELETON
+    assert strip_harakat(SKELETON) == SKELETON
+    # letters, spaces, punctuation survive
+    assert strip_harakat("مَدرسة، جامعة") == "مدرسة، جامعة"
+
+
+def test_build_lexicon_groups_by_skeleton_and_needs_a_reading() -> None:
+    lex = build_lexicon([
+        VOCALIZED,          # بِكِتَاب — licensed reading of بكتاب
+        "بُكْتَاب",          # another licensed reading
+        SKELETON,           # bare form — not a reading, excluded
+        "مَدرسة",
+    ])
+    assert lex[SKELETON] == {VOCALIZED, "بُكْتَاب"}
+    assert lex["مدرسة"] == {"مَدرسة"}
+    assert SKELETON not in lex["مدرسة"]
+
+
+def test_vrr_scores_any_licensed_reading() -> None:
+    lex = build_lexicon([VOCALIZED, "بُكْتَاب"])
+    rows = [
+        (SKELETON, VOCALIZED),        # exact licensed reading -> valid
+        (SKELETON, "بُكْتَاب"),          # alternative reading   -> valid
+        (SKELETON, "بَكَاتِيب"),        # hallucinated          -> invalid
+    ]
+    preds = [p for _, p in rows]
+    result = score_predictions_vrr(preds, [lex[_s] for _s, _ in rows])
+    assert result["vrr"] == 2 / 3
+    assert result["valid"] == 2
+    assert result["total"] == 3
+
+
+def test_vrr_with_empty_licensed_set_is_never_valid() -> None:
+    result = score_predictions_vrr(["مَدرسة"], [set()])
+    assert result["vrr"] == 0.0
+    assert result["total"] == 1
+
+
+def test_vrr_mismatched_lengths_raise() -> None:
+    try:
+        score_predictions_vrr(["x"], [set(), set()])
+    except ValueError as e:
+        assert "length" in str(e)
+    else:
+        raise AssertionError("expected ValueError")
+
+
+def test_score_text_vrr_word_level() -> None:
+    from sadeedbench.vrr import score_text_vrr
+
+    lex = build_lexicon([VOCALIZED, "مَدرسة"])
+    # two Arabic words: one licensed reading, one hallucination; a Latin
+    # token in the source pairs with pred text but carries no readings
+    v, t = score_text_vrr("بكتاب مدرسة x", f"{VOCALIZED} بَكَاتِيب yy", lex)
+    assert (v, t) == (1, 2)