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Dictation words for Class 1 to 10

These are free dictation words for Class 1 to 10 that your browser reads aloud, so nobody has to sit there with a list. Pick a class and a set of eight, choose a speed, and the word is spoken, used in a sentence, then spoken again while your child writes it down. Answers appear at the end for marking.

There are 240 words in total. Plenty of sites publish dictation lists as flat text; as far as we could find, none of them read the words out. That is the whole gap this fills, and it is the difference between a list a parent has to work from and a dictation a child can do alone.

Run a dictation

Set up the dictation

Eight words a set, which is about the length of a real school dictation. Get a notebook and a pencil first.

Class

about 8 years old

Which set
How to answer

Longer everyday words, the harder blends, and the first silent letters. Expect the silent letters to cause trouble for weeks.

Nothing is recorded and no microphone is used. The voice is the one already built into your device.

How to use it

What dictation is actually for

Dictation looks like a spelling test and is doing something different. A spelling test asks whether a child knows a word. Dictation asks whether they can hold a word in their head, keep hold of it while their hand catches up, and write it without the word in front of them. That gap is where a lot of children come apart - they can read a word perfectly on a page and cannot produce it from memory thirty seconds later.

It is also, quietly, handwriting practice, listening practice and concentration practice at the same time. Five minutes of it is worth more than the length suggests.

Set it up properly first

Notebook and pencil before you start, not after. Sit your child somewhere they can hear the device clearly. Set the speed slower than you think you need - most children need it slower than an adult would choose, and a child who is scrambling to keep up is practising panic rather than spelling.

Let them press the repeat button as often as they like. Asking for a word again is not cheating. It is what any child does in a real classroom dictation, and refusing it only teaches them not to ask.

Mark it together, straight away

The marking is where the learning happens, and it should happen while the child still remembers what they were thinking. Go through the answer list together. For each word they missed, look at where it went wrong - a missing double letter, a silent letter dropped, a vowel guessed by sound. Naming the type of mistake does far more than simply writing the word out again.

Three correct writes on three separate days will normally fix a word for good. Thirty writes today will not.

What each class is working on

Class 1 is three-letter words and the small sight words that break every rule - the, was, said, they. Class 2 moves to two syllables and blends, which is where a child stops spelling letter by letter and starts spelling in chunks. Class 3 brings the first silent letters, and they cause trouble for weeks; that is normal.

Class 4 and 5 is the -tion and -sure endings, the ie and ei rule, and the long words a child uses in writing but has never had to spell. From Class 6 upward the lists move to the vocabulary that turns up in Science and Social Science answers, and by Class 9 and 10 a spelling error in an English paper costs a mark, so the lists get deliberately harder.

When dictation is the wrong tool

If a Class 1 or 2 child cannot hear the separate sounds in a short word, dictation will only produce a page of failure. The thing they need is phonics - blending sounds together and pulling them apart - and no amount of dictation practice substitutes for it. Come back to dictation once the sounds are secure.

Equally, if your child writes the words correctly but takes an age over every letter, the issue is handwriting fluency rather than spelling, and it is worth mentioning to their class teacher.

A five-minute routine

  • Notebook and pencil out before pressing start.
  • One set of eight words, three or four times a week.
  • Slower speed than you think. Repeats are free.
  • Mark it together the moment it finishes.
  • Carry the missed words into tomorrow's set.
Print them

Dictation word lists and answer sheets

Every word with its sentence, for a parent who would rather read them aloud. Each class prints on its own sheet.

Class 1 dictation words

about 6 years old · Your child learns three-letter words by sounding them out, then the small sight words that break the rules - these must simply be known.

Set 1 - Three-letter words, sounded out

  1. cat - Priya played with her cat in the garden.
  2. sun - Ravi played outside in the bright sun.
  3. bed - Ravi's bed is soft and warm.
  4. pin - The teacher found a pin on the desk.
  5. dog - The dog barked when the postman arrived.
  6. cup - This cup has water in it.
  7. hat - Ravi lost his hat at the fair.
  8. red - Meera wore a red ribbon in her hair.

Set 2 - Four-letter words and first blends

  1. milk - The milk in the jug is cold.
  2. jump - The rabbit can jump very high.
  3. hand - I raised my hand to answer the question.
  4. ship - A ship sailed past the beach.
  5. fish - We saw colorful fish at the market.
  6. bell - The school bell rang at three o'clock.
  7. frog - The frog sat on the rock.
  8. star - Many stars came out after dark.

Set 3 - Sight words that break the rules

  1. the - The boy walked to the market.
  2. and - Priya has a pen and notebook.
  3. you - What do you want to do today.
  4. was - Yesterday was a holiday so no school.
  5. said - The boy said his name is Arun.
  6. come - Come and sit with me please.
  7. they - They played cricket in the playground.
  8. here - Come here and sit down.

Class 2 dictation words

about 7 years old · Two-syllable words and common blends. This year, your child stops spelling letter by letter and learns to spell in chunks.

Set 1 - Two-syllable everyday words

  1. happy - Arun felt happy when he won.
  2. water - She drank water after playing sports.
  3. table - My homework is on the table.
  4. garden - Our garden has lots of flowers.
  5. little - A little cat slept on the mat.
  6. yellow - The sun makes things yellow and bright.
  7. monkey - A monkey sat on the roof.
  8. pencil - Arun sharpened his pencil before the test.

Set 2 - Blends at the start and end

  1. brush - Priya brushes her hair every morning.
  2. clock - The clock showed it was noon.
  3. grass - The grass in the garden was green.
  4. plant - The plant in our garden grows tall.
  5. sweet - This sweet tastes so good.
  6. dream - Last night I had a wonderful dream.
  7. string - He tied string around the parcel.
  8. spoon - Use this spoon to eat your rice.

Set 3 - Common words that trip children up

  1. because - I stayed home because it was raining.
  2. friend - Ravi is my friend from school.
  3. school - School opens at eight o'clock.
  4. family - My family visited the temple together.
  5. morning - I eat breakfast in the morning.
  6. always - Meera always helps her younger brother.
  7. people - Many people waited in the queue.
  8. thank - I thank you for your help.

Class 3 dictation words

about 8 years old · Longer everyday words, the harder blends, and the first silent letters. Expect the silent letters to cause trouble for weeks.

Set 1 - Everyday words of two and three syllables

  1. kitchen - Mother cooks in the kitchen daily.
  2. blanket - The blanket kept me warm at night.
  3. holiday - We play at school on holiday.
  4. evening - We play in the evening together.
  5. picture - She drew a picture of her house.
  6. birthday - Arun's birthday is in July.
  7. village - Her village is near the river.
  8. market - Father bought vegetables at the market.

Set 2 - Harder blends and silent letters

  1. bridge - Ravi walked over the stone bridge.
  2. splash - The water made a splash sound.
  3. stretch - The cat began to stretch and yawn.
  4. thunder - The thunder made a loud noise outside.
  5. chimney - Smoke came out from the chimney.
  6. whistle - The word whistle is used often.
  7. knock - Knock on the door when you arrive.
  8. wrist - She wore a bracelet on her wrist.

Set 3 - Words that are not spelled the way they sound

  1. enough - The word enough is used often.
  2. laugh - The funny story made us laugh.
  3. caught - He caught the ball with one hand.
  4. eight - The word eight is used often.
  5. night - The moon shines at night.
  6. right - Turn right at the next corner.
  7. could - The word could is used often.
  8. would - Would you like to play football?

Class 4 dictation words

about 9 years old · The -tion and -sure endings, the ie and ei rule, and the British spellings Indian schools mark as correct.

Set 1 - Longer words and the -tion, -ure endings

  1. journey - The long journey took two days.
  2. machine - The word machine is used often.
  3. question - She raised her hand with a question.
  4. treasure - They found an old treasure box.
  5. mountain - The word mountain is used often.
  6. calendar - The calendar shows July has thirty-one days.
  7. ceiling - Look at the fan on the ceiling.
  8. neighbour - The word neighbour is used often.

Set 2 - The ie and ei words, and one homophone pair

  1. measure - He used a scale to measure the rice.
  2. science - Science class is my favourite subject.
  3. believe - The word believe is used often.
  4. receive - I receive letters from my grandmother.
  5. achieve - Hard work helps you achieve goals.
  6. weather - The word weather is used often.
  7. whether - I am not sure whether it will rain.
  8. through - We walked through the market today.

Set 3 - British spellings and words about character

  1. honour - The word honour is used often.
  2. colour - The sky changes colour at sunset.
  3. favourite - What is your favourite colour.
  4. separate - The word separate is used often.
  5. quarrel - They had a quarrel over the toy.
  6. sincere - His sincere words made us smile.
  7. obedient - The word obedient is used often.
  8. courage - It takes courage to try new things.

Class 5 dictation words

about 10 years old · The words your child already uses in writing but misspells by guessing: double letters, silent letters, and the long -ly endings.

Set 1 - Long words with double letters

  1. necessary - Water is necessary for all plants.
  2. business - The word business is used often.
  3. government - The government made new rules for schools.
  4. temperature - The temperature is very hot today.
  5. environment - The word environment is used often.
  6. restaurant - My family ate lunch at a restaurant.
  7. vegetable - Spinach is a healthy vegetable.
  8. February - The word February is used often.

Set 2 - Silent letters and awkward vowels

  1. knowledge - School gives children knowledge and skills.
  2. strength - He used all his strength to move it.
  3. straight - The word straight is used often.
  4. thorough - She was thorough in checking her homework.
  5. familiar - This face looks familiar to me.
  6. jewellery - The word jewellery is used often.
  7. mischief - The puppies caused mischief in the house.
  8. ancient - We visited an ancient temple.

Set 3 - Words used constantly in writing

  1. opposite - The word opposite is used often.
  2. ordinary - Monday is just an ordinary day.
  3. particular - That particular book is very good.
  4. immediately - The word immediately is used often.
  5. especially - I like ice cream, especially vanilla.
  6. definitely - I will definitely come tomorrow.
  7. difference - The word difference is used often.
  8. experience - The holiday was a wonderful experience.

Class 6 dictation words

about 11 years old · Middle-school vocabulary—words that appear in Social Science and Science answers and get spelled three different ways in the same paragraph.

Set 1 - Words from Social Science and Science

  1. rhythm - She moved to the rhythm of the song.
  2. foreign - The word foreign is used often.
  3. monument - The tower is an old monument in town.
  4. celebrate - We celebrate birthdays with family.
  5. ceremony - The word ceremony is used often.
  6. curiosity - His curiosity made him ask many questions.
  7. discipline - Discipline helps you do your work.
  8. emergency - The word emergency is used often.

Set 2 - Words with unexpected middles

  1. guarantee - The toy came with a guarantee.
  2. hesitate - Do not hesitate to ask questions.
  3. imagination - The word imagination is used often.
  4. laboratory - We tested the water in a laboratory.
  5. magnificent - That magnificent building is very old.
  6. mysterious - The word mysterious is used often.
  7. navigate - They navigate the river with a boat.
  8. obstacle - The tree was an obstacle on the path.

Set 3 - The double-letter traps

  1. parliament - The word parliament is used often.
  2. permanent - The statue is a permanent part of the school.
  3. persuade - He tried to persuade his friend.
  4. pleasant - The word pleasant is used often.
  5. possession - His bicycle is his favourite possession.
  6. precious - These precious jewels are in a safe.
  7. pressure - The word pressure is used often.
  8. privilege - It is a privilege to attend this school.

Class 7 dictation words

about 12 years old · This is vocabulary that appears in comprehension passages and essay writing. A child who can spell these words can generally use them as well.

Set 1 - Describing words used in essays

  1. abundant - Fruit is abundant during summer months.
  2. adequate - The word adequate is used often.
  3. ambitious - Ravi is ambitious about his studies.
  4. anxious - She felt anxious before the test.
  5. apparent - The word apparent is used often.
  6. appreciate - I appreciate your kindness to me.
  7. approximate - The approximate time is two o'clock.
  8. acquaintance - The word acquaintance is used often.

Set 2 - Words about people and groups

  1. benefit - Sleep has many benefits for children.
  2. brilliant - The brilliant sun was very bright.
  3. category - The word category is used often.
  4. colleague - The teacher works with a helpful colleague.
  5. committee - The committee decided on new rules.
  6. competition - The word competition is used often.
  7. conscience - Your conscience tells you what is right.
  8. consequence - The consequence of lying is trouble.

Set 3 - Words with awkward endings

  1. convenient - The word convenient is used often.
  2. criticism - She accepted the criticism and improved.
  3. deceive - Never deceive your parents or friends.
  4. dependent - The word dependent is used often.
  5. desperate - They made a desperate call for help.
  6. deteriorate - His health began to deteriorate slowly.
  7. determine - The word determine is used often.
  8. descendant - Arun is a descendant of warriors.

Class 8 dictation words

about 13 years old · The words that cost marks in board-style answers later - long, formal, and almost never spelled by ear correctly.

Set 1 - Formal words used in answers

  1. efficient - An efficient worker finishes on time.
  2. eligible - The word eligible is used often.
  3. embarrass - I did not mean to embarrass you.
  4. emphasise - Teachers emphasise the importance of reading.
  5. enthusiasm - The word enthusiasm is used often.
  6. equipment - The school bought new sports equipment.
  7. exaggerate - Do not exaggerate your story to others.
  8. excellent - The word excellent is used often.

Set 2 - Science and reasoning words

  1. exhausted - The runners were exhausted at the end.
  2. existence - The existence of dinosaurs was long ago.
  3. experiment - The word experiment is used often.
  4. extraordinary - That was an extraordinary achievement today.
  5. fascinate - The magic show will fascinate you.
  6. feasible - The word feasible is used often.
  7. financial - The school's financial records show everything.
  8. fluorescent - The fluorescent light was very bright.

Set 3 - Words with one letter people always add or drop

  1. fulfil - The word fulfil is used often.
  2. genuine - Her interest in books is genuine.
  3. gorgeous - That gorgeous sunset turned the sky orange.
  4. grateful - The word grateful is used often.
  5. guardian - My guardian helps me with homework.
  6. harass - Do not harass other children please.
  7. humorous - The word humorous is used often.
  8. hygiene - Good hand hygiene keeps us healthy.

Class 9 dictation words

about 14 years old · From the board level, the rules change. A spelling mistake in any English answer now costs marks, so the vocabulary list becomes deliberately more challenging.

Set 1 - Words about ideas and argument

  1. identical - The identical twins looked exactly the same.
  2. immediate - The word immediate is used often.
  3. incredible - The athlete made an incredible jump.
  4. independent - She is independent and does her work.
  5. indispensable - The word indispensable is used often.
  6. inevitable - Growing up seems inevitable for everyone.
  7. influence - Good friends influence you in nice ways.
  8. ingenious - The word ingenious is used often.

Set 2 - Words about institutions and thinking

  1. initiative - Priya took initiative to help the class.
  2. innocent - The innocent child did nothing wrong.
  3. inquiry - The word inquiry is used often.
  4. institute - The institute teaches science and technology.
  5. intelligence - Intelligence helps you solve hard problems.
  6. interfere - The word interfere is used often.
  7. interpret - How do you interpret this word?
  8. irrelevant - That irrelevant comment was out of place.

Set 3 - The genuinely hard ones

  1. jealous - The word jealous is used often.
  2. judgement - The teacher showed wisdom in her judgement.
  3. legitimate - His legitimate reason was very good.
  4. leisure - The word leisure is used often.
  5. liaison - The principal is a liaison between school and parents.
  6. lieutenant - The lieutenant led the brave soldiers.
  7. literature - The word literature is used often.
  8. luxurious - The hotel had luxurious rooms and food.

Class 10 dictation words

about 15 years old · This is the list a Class 10 student should memorise and write from memory under exam pressure, without hesitation. Several of these are frequently misspelled, even by adults.

Set 1 - Words adults get wrong too

  1. maintenance - We need maintenance for the old house.
  2. manoeuvre - The word manoeuvre is used often.
  3. marriage - My uncle's marriage was in June.
  4. mediocre - His mediocre work was just average.
  5. millennium - The word millennium is used often.
  6. miniature - She has a miniature toy train.
  7. miscellaneous - The miscellaneous items filled the cupboard.
  8. mortgage - The word mortgage is used often.

Set 2 - Double letters in the wrong places

  1. negotiate - The two countries agreed to negotiate.
  2. noticeable - The noticeable change in the garden pleased us.
  3. nuisance - The word nuisance is used often.
  4. occasion - Her wedding was a special occasion.
  5. occurrence - Rain is a daily occurrence in monsoon.
  6. omission - The word omission is used often.
  7. opponent - My opponent was stronger than me.
  8. parallel - These parallel lines never will meet.

Set 3 - Exam-level vocabulary

  1. perseverance - The word perseverance is used often.
  2. phenomenon - Thunder is a natural weather phenomenon.
  3. physique - His physique showed he played sports.
  4. plausible - The word plausible is used often.
  5. prejudice - Judge people without prejudice or fear.
  6. prestige - The prestige of the school is high.
  7. questionnaire - The word questionnaire is used often.
  8. rehearsal - The play rehearsal starts at three.

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Questions parents ask

About dictation practice

Is this dictation tool free?

Yes. No account, no download, nothing to install and no card. It is free whether or not you ever book a class with us.

Does my child need an account?

No. There is nothing to sign in to and nothing is stored. No microphone is used, no recording is made, and no analytics run on what a child does on this page - see the privacy policy.

How does the audio work?

The words are read by a voice already built into your browser or phone. Nothing is downloaded, no audio files are streamed, and it works on any modern browser. If your device happens to have no English voice installed, the tool shows the word and its sentence on screen instead so you can read it aloud yourself.

Why does every word come with a sentence?

Because without one, dictation is guesswork. A child who hears the word weather with no context has no way of knowing whether you meant weather or whether, and the same is true of their and there, or of any homophone. A real classroom dictation always gives the word, then a sentence, then the word again. This does the same.

Should my child write on paper or type?

Paper, if you have a choice. Handwriting is part of what dictation is training, and the physical act of forming the letters helps the spelling stick. The typing mode exists for children who find handwriting itself hard enough that it gets in the way of the spelling, and for a quick check when there is no notebook nearby.

How often should we do dictation?

One set of eight words, three or four times a week, is plenty. It takes about five minutes. Doing all twenty-four words once a week feels more thorough and works less well - writing improves through frequency, the same way tables and spelling do.

Which class should we pick?

Start with the class your child is in. If they get seven or eight out of eight comfortably, move up. If they are getting fewer than four, move down a class without any fuss about it. The list is a tool, not a verdict.

Can we print the word lists?

Yes. The lists lower down this page print cleanly from your browser's print option, and each class sits on its own sheet. That is useful for a parent who would rather read the words out themselves, or for practising away from a screen.

Do you use British or American spellings?

British, which is what Indian schools mark as correct. Neighbour, colour, favourite, jewellery, emphasise. This matters more than it sounds, because most free dictation lists online are American and will teach your child forms that lose them marks.

How is this different from the spelling test?

Dictation builds writing fluency using words a child already half-knows, and the child writes on paper. The spelling test probes words they do not know yet and marks them on screen. No word appears in both lists, so the two can be used one after the other.

How it works

How do you run a dictation session?

  1. 1

    Pick the class and list length

    Lists are class-wise and British-spelt, matched to what an Indian school actually sets rather than an American word list.

  2. 2

    Set the reading speed

    Slower for a child who is still forming letters; normal once writing is fluent. The voice is the same on every device.

  3. 3

    Read, pause, write

    Each word is spoken and used in a sentence. Your child writes it on paper - that is the point, so keep them off the screen.

  4. 4

    Mark from the printable sheet

    The answer sheet prints separately, so you can check without your child reading ahead.

Keep it short enough to repeat tomorrow

Ten focused minutes usually beats a long session. Stop while the child still feels successful, then come back the next day.

What it actually practises

  • Spelling under dictation, which is harder than copying and closer to what a test asks.
  • Listening for a whole word rather than a first sound, since the sentence gives the meaning.
  • Handwriting stamina - twenty words is a real piece of writing for a Class 2 child.
  • Self-checking, if you let them mark their own sheet against the key.

When not to use it: If your child cannot yet form letters comfortably, dictation adds a writing struggle on top of a spelling one. Use the phonics game until letters come easily.

Practise the same thing elsewhere

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Dictation going badly week after week?

That is usually a phonics gap rather than a spelling one, and it is very fixable. One free assessment is normally enough to see which it is.

  1. Tell us the class, the board, and where it is going wrong.
  2. We find a teacher who has taught that exact thing, and offer a slot.
  3. A free 20-minute assessment - stay and watch if you would like to.
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