Years 1–9Years 1–9Spelling
Listen and spell: your child hears a word, then types it
Choosing the right spelling from a list is one skill. Writing a word from nothing is another, and it is the one a spelling test asks for. Listen and spell reads a word aloud, with a sentence so words that sound alike are never a guess, and your child types it.
Photo: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
- 10words in a round
- 3 waysto listen: normally, slowly, or in a sentence
- Type itcapital letters do not matter
- Soundneeds a device that can speak aloud
How it works
- Each word is read three times. When a word appears it plays by itself: the word, the sentence it sits in, then the word again. That is how a spelling test is read, and it means a word like pie or weigh is never left to guess.
- There are three buttons. Listen plays it all again. Slowly says just the word at a slower pace, which helps with long words. In a sentence plays the sentence only. A few words have no sentence, and then that button is not shown.
- The words come from the spelling lessons. They are the right answers to the questions in the Spelling challenge, so they are the words English lessons about spelling teach. Years 1 and 2 use the Year 2 lessons, Years 3 and 4 use Years 3 and 4, and older children use the Year 5 and 6 ones.
- A word is only used when it is one plain word. Questions with several right answers, or whose answer is a sentence, are left out. In one round each word comes up once.
- The first answer counts. Your child types the word and presses Check answer. If it is right they see Correct. If not, they see the right spelling and move on. There is no second go on the same word.
- Mistakes come back. A word that was spelt wrongly is lined up for Today's 10 from the next day, as a multiple-choice question about the same spelling, so it is revisited without another round of typing.
How to use it at home
Turn the sound up, or use headphones
The words are read by the voice built into the device, so volume matters. Headphones help in a busy room and let your child hear every letter.
Let them listen before they type
Encourage your child to say the word back, then think of the sounds before typing. Saying it first makes a big difference.
Use Slowly for the long words
A slower reading makes the syllables clear. Ask your child to tap out the parts of the word before they write it.
Look at the mistakes together
When a word is wrong, look at the right spelling and ask what is tricky about it. Then ask your child to write it three times from memory.
Practise and explore on Quizo School
- The Spelling challenge Fifteen spelling questions to choose or correct.
- Year 3 English Lessons, quizzes and the spelling units.
- Phonics and the Year 1 check How sounds and letters are taught first.
- Help: the Practice Modules What is free and what is in Family.
Questions parents ask
Is Listen and spell free?
It is part of the Family plan, with the Spelling challenge. New families get the Family plan free for 14 days, with no card needed.
Why does my child not see it?
It needs sound. If the device cannot read text aloud, or English is not available for your child's year yet, the card is hidden.
Does it use a recording of a person?
No. The words are read by the voice your device already has, and we ask for a British English one when it is there. How natural it sounds depends on the device.
How is it different from the Spelling challenge?
The Spelling challenge shows a choice of spellings, or a sentence with a mistake to correct. Listen and spell gives no choices: your child hears the word and has to write it from memory, which is harder.
Will it match the school's spelling lists?
Schools use their own lists, so it will not match word for word. It follows the same patterns, so it supports what your child is being taught.
Try Listen and spell
New families get the Family plan free for 14 days, with no card needed. Make a profile and the first round is ready.
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Years 1–9
Year 1Phonics Screening Check
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Years 1–9