Language
Spelling to Dictation Task
Also called: written spelling task, word dictation task
Measure spelling from spoken words. Participants hear each word twice, then type it in the session language.
4-6 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
- 122
- Evidence grade
- C
- Registered clinical studies
- 1
What it measures
Measures spelling of spoken words. A synthetic voice says each word twice, then participants type it. Scores the percentage spelled correctly, using original words in the session language. Japanese uses kana words; Mandarin accepts the listed simplified and traditional spellings.
Constructs
- Spelling
- Written word knowledge
- Auditory to written language mapping
Research uses
- Literacy research
- Written language research
- Within-study spelling comparisons
How the paradigm works
The Spelling to Dictation Task measures how accurately people spell words they hear. A synthetic voice says one word twice, then the participant types it. Word dictation is used in literacy and acquired dysgraphia research. This version uses typed answers and new word lists.
More about the paradigm
Each language has 24 test words and three separate practice words. The session seed selects and orders words without repetition. Researchers can use 12 to 24 test words. A steady tone sets the volume first. The word plays twice, 500 ms apart, and the answer box then opens. There is no deadline. Practice gives the correct spelling; the test gives no feedback.
Accuracy is the share of completed words spelled correctly, counting blanks as errors. Capitalization and surrounding spaces do not matter; accents and letter order do. Japanese accepts hiragana or katakana for the kana loanwords. Mandarin accepts the listed simplified and traditional forms of each compound word. French accepts the listed plurals that sound the same as the singular. Answers are checked against the word list for the session language.
Scores
- Spelling Accuracy%
- Correctly spelled words divided by all completed test trials, including blanks.
- Higher is better
- Correct Wordscount
- Words spelled correctly.
- Higher is better
- Incorrect Wordscount
- Nonblank answers that do not match an accepted spelling.
- Lower is better
- Blank Answerscount
- Completed trials submitted without a word; included as errors in accuracy.
- Context for the scores
- Median Correct Answer Timems
- Median time from the end of the second playback to a correctly spelled answer, excluding times under 100 ms.
- Context for the scores
- Quick Answerscount
- Answers submitted under 100 ms.
- Half or more invalidates the session
- Blocked Paste Attemptscount
- Paste and drop attempts blocked by the answer box.
- Flagged for review
- Completed Wordstrials
- Completed test trials, including blank answers.
- Fewer than 12 invalidates the session
- Planned Wordstrials
- Number of planned test words.
- Informational
- Reported Output Delayms
- Output delay reported by the browser.
- Context for the scores
Use and evidence
122 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, down 5% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 219 of 582 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2022 | 21 |
| 2021 | 22 |
| 2020 | 32 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2018 | 22 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2016 | 25 |
| 2015 | 11 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2013 | 16 |
| 2012 | 12 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2010 | 13 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2000 | 4 |
Use grade C
100 to 299 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade C
At least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 2
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 21
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 1
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.
Note on the counts: includes classroom and education studies.
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.
- Words
- 24 original test words and 3 separate practice words per language. European lists use everyday words of varied lengths and spellings; Mandarin uses compound words; Japanese uses kana loanwords.
- Listening
- Play says the word twice, 500 ms apart, at one fixed speech level. The input opens after the second playback. Speakers or headphones work; a steady tone sets the volume first.
- Answers
- One typed word, submitted by the button or Enter. Blank answers are allowed and count as errors. No time limit. Browser spelling correction is requested off, and paste and drop are blocked.
- Trials
- 24 words by default, with 12 to 24 as a setting. The seed selects and orders words without repetition.
- Practice
- 3 words with feedback for 1,500 ms after each answer. An incorrect answer is followed by the correct spelling. The test gives no feedback.
- Scoring
- Percent of words spelled correctly. Case, surrounding spaces and compatibility forms are normalized; accents still matter. Japanese accepts hiragana and katakana; Mandarin accepts the listed simplified and traditional spellings. French accepts the listed plurals that sound the same as the singular. Incorrect words, blanks and median correct answer time are separate scores.
The voices are synthetic and the word lists are new. These scores describe typed spelling, including kana spelling in Japanese and character entry in Mandarin. Input methods can suggest characters, so compare the same language and input method. The task is not a diagnostic test and applies no published norms or percentiles.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scores exact spellings from the most complete run, using the saved word id and language. Blank answers count as errors. Low accuracy is a possible spelling result and is not judged against chance. Half or more answers under 100 ms invalidates; fewer than 12 words invalidates. Incomplete runs and blocked paste attempts are flagged.
Why these rules
Typed spelling has no fixed chance level. Low accuracy can be the finding of interest, so it does not invalidate a run. Answers are enabled only after listening. The input asks browsers to turn off correction and blocks pasting; input methods still differ between languages.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Words | 24 | 12 to 24 |
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 to Dictation Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Caramazza et al., 1987; Afonso et al., 2015), with the standard settings (words: 24). The main score was spelling accuracy (correctly spelled words divided by all completed test trials, including blanks).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Afonso, O., Suárez-Coalla, P., & Cuetos, F. (2015). Spelling impairments in Spanish dyslexic adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 466. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00466Single-word spelling to dictation in literacy research; the study used handwriting, while this version uses typed answers.
- Caramazza, A., Miceli, G., Villa, G., & Romani, C. (1987). The role of the Graphemic Buffer in spelling: Evidence from a case of acquired dysgraphia. Cognition, 26(1), 59-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(87)90014-XSpelling to dictation in acquired dysgraphia research; not a source of our words or norms.
Source papers
- Afonso, O., Suárez-Coalla, P., & Cuetos, F. (2015). Spelling impairments in Spanish dyslexic adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 466.Paradigm source, Adults
- Caramazza, A., Miceli, G., Villa, G., & Romani, C. (1987). The role of the Graphemic Buffer in spelling: Evidence from a case of acquired dysgraphia. Cognition, 26(1), 59-85.Paradigm source, Adults
Questions
How long does the Spelling to Dictation Task take?
About 4 to 6 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?
Spelling Accuracy, Correct Words, Incorrect Words, Blank Answers, Median Correct Answer Time, Quick Answers, Blocked Paste Attempts, Completed Words, Planned Words and Reported Output Delay. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Spelling to Dictation Task used in research?
122 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, down 5% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 219 of 582 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade C). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Spelling to Dictation Task have?
In the published research, 2 papers report its test-retest reliability and 1 registered clinical study uses it as an outcome (evidence grade C in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Words (12 to 24). 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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