How do I practice spelling with my own word list?

Type or paste the words under Word list, one per line, and press Start practice. A numbered or bulleted list works as pasted, because the numbers and bullets are dropped, and several words on one line can be separated by commas. Add a definition or an example sentence after an equals sign, as in library = a room or building with books you can borrow; when the definition is shown, the word itself is hidden as ___. A list holds up to 500 words, and Save list keeps up to 20 named lists in this browser.

Why does the page not speak the words on my device?

Words are spoken by the browser's own speech synthesis, using only voices it reports as installed on your device. Some browsers have no speech synthesis, some list no voices, and some offer only online voices, which send each word to a speech service, so the page does not use them. The page says which of these it found, and each word is then shown instead, for the time set under Show for (2, 4 or 8 seconds) or until you start typing; the Show word button shows it again. The word stays where it is: nothing is skipped.

Can I choose a British, American or Indian English voice?

You can pick any voice your device has installed, under Settings, and each is listed with its name and language tag, such as en-GB or en-IN. The list comes from your device and browser, not from this page, so which accents are on offer, and how a word sounds, depends on what is installed there.

How are answers checked, and do capitals count?

An answer is trimmed at both ends, a run of spaces counts as one space, and straight and curly apostrophes count as the same. Everything else, accents and hyphens included, must match your list letter for letter. Ignore case is the default, so february is right for February; with Match case on, the same answer is wrong and the page says only the capitals differ. A wrong answer never shows the spelling: the page says how many letters you typed against how many the word has, or that only the capitals, the accents, or the spaces, hyphens and apostrophes differ.

What does assisted mean?

A word is assisted when you took a letter hint, pressed Reveal word, or had it shown again after a wrong try (in Show briefly, or when your device cannot speak). It still counts as right, but it is kept out of the unassisted count. A letter hint shows letters from the left; after a wrong try, one hint shows up to and including the first letter that try got wrong.

Is this for the IELTS or a spelling bee?

No. It practices the words you give it. Apart from a ten-word example list written for this page, it has no word bank of its own, and it is not preparation for any official test.

Where is my progress saved?

In this browser's local storage only: your settings, the list in the box, up to 20 saved lists, the session in progress and up to 30 finished sessions. The page sends nothing you type anywhere. Clear history removes the history, Delete removes a saved list, and Start over at the top of the page removes everything the page saved.

Can I use it with only a keyboard?

Yes. Type the word and press Enter to check it, then Enter again for the next word. Tab reaches Play, Slower, Stop, Letter hint, Reveal word, Skip and every setting, and after a hint or a reveal the focus goes back to the answer box.

Spelling Practice

Type or paste your own word list, up to 500 words, with an optional definition or sentence after each word. Press Play and a voice installed on your device says the word, or choose Show briefly to see it for a few seconds before it hides, then type it and press Enter. Answers are checked against your list by a stated rule: spaces at either end, a run of spaces where one space belongs and curly apostrophes never count against you, and capitals count only when you turn on Match case. When you are stuck, a letter hint shows the next letter you need, or Reveal word shows the whole word and, in Listen and type with a voice available, spells it aloud letter by letter; either one marks the word assisted, so the unassisted count shows what you spelled on your own. Words you got wrong, revealed or skipped go on a review list you can practice again, and your lists, settings and progress are saved in this browser.

Preparing the practice

Word: none yet
Unassisted: 0
Assisted: 0
To review: none yet

february typed for FebruaryIgnore case, the default
right; switch to Match case and the same answer is wrong
One letter hint, then library typedafter libary on the first try
right, but marked assisted and left out of the unassisted count; the hint showed l i b r _ _ _
No speech voice on this devicePlay pressed
shown for 4 seconds or until you start typing, then hidden; the word stays open, nothing is skipped, and Stop cancels anything still queued
don’t typed for don'tcurly apostrophe, Match case on
right: straight and curly apostrophes count as the same

Word list

List nameWords, one per line. Add a definition or a sentence after =

10 words, of up to 500 in a list.

This is an example list written for this page. Replace it with your own words; the name clears as soon as you change the words, so name your list before you save it.

Paste a numbered or bulleted list and the numbers and bullets are dropped. Several words on one line can be separated by commas. A spreadsheet column pasted with a tab between word and definition works too.

Saved in this browser

No saved lists yet. Name the list above and press Save list; up to 20 lists are kept in this browser.

Settings

Prompt

Capitals

Voicelooking for voices

Words

Order

Show for

Definition aloud

Prompt, Capitals, Voice, Show for and Definition aloud apply straight away. Words and Order apply from the next Start practice: with List order, the first words of the list are asked. Show for is how long Show briefly, or the fallback when this device cannot speak, keeps a word on screen.

Voices come from this device and browser, so the accents on offer, and how a word sounds, depend on what is installed. Online voices are not used, because they send each word to a speech service.

Review

Nothing to review in this session so far.

History

Kept in this browser only, with your saved lists and the session in progress. The last 30 sessions are listed.

No finished sessions yet.

Type the word and press Enter to check it, then Enter again for the next word. Tab reaches Play, the hints, Skip and every other control.

How answers are checked. An answer is trimmed at both ends, a run of spaces counts as one space, and straight and curly apostrophes count as the same. Capitals count only when Match case is on. Everything else, accents and hyphens included, must match the word in your list letter for letter. A word counts as assisted when you take a letter hint, reveal it, or have it shown again after a wrong try (in Show briefly, or when this device cannot speak). Wrong tries, reveals and skips put a word on the review list, and Practice the words to review asks just those again.

Accuracy. Answers are checked letter for letter against your own list, with capitals counted only when Match case is on, and any word where you took a letter hint or revealed the word is marked assisted. Words are spoken only by voices your browser reports as installed on this device, so which voices exist and how a word sounds vary by device and browser; when none is available, a visible mode shows each word and hides it before you type, and no word is skipped. The word lists are yours, not copied from any exam, and this is not preparation for an official test.

Common questions

How do I practice spelling with my own word list?: Type or paste the words under Word list, one per line, and press Start practice. A numbered or bulleted list works as pasted, because the numbers and bullets are dropped, and several words on one line can be separated by commas. Add a definition or an example sentence after an equals sign, as in library = a room or building with books you can borrow; when the definition is shown, the word itself is hidden as ___. A list holds up to 500 words, and Save list keeps up to 20 named lists in this browser.
Why does the page not speak the words on my device?: Words are spoken by the browser's own speech synthesis, using only voices it reports as installed on your device. Some browsers have no speech synthesis, some list no voices, and some offer only online voices, which send each word to a speech service, so the page does not use them. The page says which of these it found, and each word is then shown instead, for the time set under Show for (2, 4 or 8 seconds) or until you start typing; the Show word button shows it again. The word stays where it is: nothing is skipped.
Can I choose a British, American or Indian English voice?: You can pick any voice your device has installed, under Settings, and each is listed with its name and language tag, such as en-GB or en-IN. The list comes from your device and browser, not from this page, so which accents are on offer, and how a word sounds, depends on what is installed there.
How are answers checked, and do capitals count?: An answer is trimmed at both ends, a run of spaces counts as one space, and straight and curly apostrophes count as the same. Everything else, accents and hyphens included, must match your list letter for letter. Ignore case is the default, so february is right for February; with Match case on, the same answer is wrong and the page says only the capitals differ. A wrong answer never shows the spelling: the page says how many letters you typed against how many the word has, or that only the capitals, the accents, or the spaces, hyphens and apostrophes differ.
What does assisted mean?: A word is assisted when you took a letter hint, pressed Reveal word, or had it shown again after a wrong try (in Show briefly, or when your device cannot speak). It still counts as right, but it is kept out of the unassisted count. A letter hint shows letters from the left; after a wrong try, one hint shows up to and including the first letter that try got wrong.
Is this for the IELTS or a spelling bee?: No. It practices the words you give it. Apart from a ten-word example list written for this page, it has no word bank of its own, and it is not preparation for any official test.
Where is my progress saved?: In this browser's local storage only: your settings, the list in the box, up to 20 saved lists, the session in progress and up to 30 finished sessions. The page sends nothing you type anywhere. Clear history removes the history, Delete removes a saved list, and Start over at the top of the page removes everything the page saved.
Can I use it with only a keyboard?: Yes. Type the word and press Enter to check it, then Enter again for the next word. Tab reaches Play, Slower, Stop, Letter hint, Reveal word, Skip and every setting, and after a hint or a reveal the focus goes back to the answer box.

Answers are checked letter for letter against your own list, with capitals counted only when Match case is on, and any word where you took a letter hint or revealed the word is marked assisted. Words are spoken only by voices your browser reports as installed on this device, so which voices exist and how a word sounds vary by device and browser; when none is available, a visible mode shows each word and hides it before you type, and no word is skipped. The word lists are yours, not copied from any exam, and this is not preparation for an official test.