Language
Spelling Choice Task
Also called: orthographic choice task, orthographic choice test, spelling recognition task
Measure spelling knowledge. Participants choose the real word from two spellings that sound the same, with pairs written for each session language.
3-5 minUntimed
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Try it here first, with no account.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 10
- Evidence grade
- D
- Registered clinical studies
- 0
What it measures
Measures knowledge of how words are spelled. Each trial shows a real word beside a made-up spelling that sounds the same, and participants choose the real word. Scores accuracy and choice time, with original pairs in the session language; Japanese and Chinese pairs swap one character for another with the same reading.
Constructs
- Orthographic knowledge
- Spelling knowledge
- Print exposure
Research uses
- Reading research
- Dyslexia research
- Literacy research
How the paradigm works
Knowing exactly how words are spelled builds up with reading. In this orthographic choice task, each trial shows two buttons: a real word and a made-up spelling pronounced the same way, such as a silent letter or another way to write a vowel. Participants choose the real word. Each of the eight languages has 30 original pairs, ten common, ten less common and ten hard words, plus three practice pairs with feedback; the 15-pair setting uses the first five of each ten. Japanese and Chinese have no sound-alike letters, so their pairs swap one character for another with the same reading, the usual kind of character spelling error. Pairs appear in a seeded order, with the real word on each side equally often and never more than three times running on one side. There is no deadline.
Scores
- Real Words Chosen%
- Percentage of answered pairs on which the real word was chosen.
- Higher means more correct
- Pairs Correctcount
- Pairs answered with the real word.
- Higher means more correct
- Median Correct Choice Timems
- Median time to a correct choice, leaving out choices under 100 ms.
- Informational
- Choices Under 100 mscount
- Choices made within 100 ms of the pair appearing.
- 0 expected
- Pairs Answeredcount
- Test pairs answered in the most complete run.
- 30 standard
- Pairs Plannedcount
- Test pairs in the chosen form.
- 30 standard
Use and evidence
10 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, down 23% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 542 of 582 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2004 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2000 | 0 |
Use grade E
Fewer than 30 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade D
Little published measurement evidence found.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 0
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 1
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 0
Measured on ConductCognition
Pooled across the studies that feed our platform norms, by device group. A figure needs 50 or more people.
No pooled figure yet.
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Pairs
- 30 original pairs in each of 8 languages: 10 common, 10 less common and 10 hard words. The 15-pair setting uses the first 5 of each 10.
- Made-up spellings
- Each made-up spelling sounds like the real word, using that language's sound-alike spellings, such as a silent letter or another way to write a vowel. Japanese and Chinese pairs swap one character for another with the same reading.
- Practice
- 3 pairs with feedback before the test.
- Order
- Seeded pair order. The real word is on the left for half the pairs, never more than 3 times running on one side.
- Responses
- Two buttons with no deadline, on desktop, tablet and phone.
- Scores
- Percentage of real words chosen and the median time of correct choices. Choices under 100 ms count as anticipations.
The pairs are our own and are written separately for each language, so compare scores within one language. Choices can draw on knowledge of the specific word and of general spelling patterns. Scores support research and do not diagnose. No percentile output.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: spelling_choice_test from the most complete run, each checked against the canonical pair for its id and language; one of two spellings per pair. Accuracy significantly below chance (one in two) invalidates and accuracy not above chance is flagged. Answers under 200 ms on at least half of the answered pairs invalidate. The same side on 90% of at least 12 answers, with accuracy not above chance, invalidates. Fewer than half of the planned pairs invalidates and any shortfall is flagged. A hidden tab withholds the percentile.
Why these rules
Accuracy significantly below chance (one-sided exact test, p < .05) cannot come from guessing; it means the response mapping was reversed or the task was not followed (Slick, Sherman and Iverson 1999 treat below-chance forced-choice performance as definite response bias). Chance-level accuracy can be a real result in impaired participants, so it is only flagged. One option on at least 90% of answered trials, when the correct options are balanced and accuracy is not above chance, means the answers did not depend on the items (the task counterpart of long-string responding in surveys; Curran 2016). The real word is on each side equally often. An answer under 200 ms is faster than a simple visual reaction, so it cannot reflect the item. Following response-time effort screening for untimed tests (Wise and Kong 2005), the session is invalid only when at least half the answers are that fast. The pairs mix common and hard words, so an incomplete run changes the score's meaning. Another tab can be used to check a spelling, so a percentile is withheld after a hidden tab.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Word pairs | 30 pairs (standard) | 30 pairs (standard), 15 pairs |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Participant devices
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- No percentile. Scores and quality flags only. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Spelling Choice Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Olson R, Wise B, Conners F, Rack J, Fulker D, 1989; Stanovich KE, West RF, 1989), with the standard settings (word pairs: 30 pairs). The main score was real words chosen (percentage of answered pairs on which the real word was chosen).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Olson, R., Wise, B., Conners, F., Rack, J., & Fulker, D. (1989). Specific deficits in component reading and language skills: Genetic and environmental influences. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22(6), 339–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221948902200604Orthographic coding measured by telling words from sound-alike nonwords. Original pairs only.
- Stanovich, K. E., & West, R. F. (1989). Exposure to print and orthographic processing. Reading Research Quarterly, 24(4), 402–433. https://doi.org/10.2307/747605Orthographic processing in adults and its link to print exposure.
- Compton, D. L., Gilbert, J. K., Kearns, D. M., & Olson, R. K. (2020). Using an item-specific predictor to test the dimensionality of the orthographic choice task. Annals of Dyslexia, 70(2), 243–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-020-00202-0A word and its sound-alike foil in random order on a computer screen, with practice items first.
Source papers
- Olson et al. (1989); Stanovich and West (1989): orthographic choice.Paradigm source, Adults who read the session language
Questions
How long does the Spelling Choice Task take?
About 3 to 5 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Real Words Chosen, Pairs Correct, Median Correct Choice Time, Choices Under 100 ms, Pairs Answered and Pairs Planned. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Spelling Choice Task used in research?
10 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, down 23% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 542 of 582 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade E). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Spelling Choice Task have?
In the published research, 0 papers report its test-retest reliability and 0 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade D in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Word pairs (30 pairs (standard), 15 pairs). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese, with its words in the same language. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
Every test: the full test list.
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