Is this test for American or British English spelling?

Both, without penalty either way. Every word in this test spells the same way in American and British English: we deliberately left out words such as colour and color, or organise and organize, where the two differ, so no one is marked wrong for using their own variety of English. We checked every correct word and every misspelling against both an American and a British dictionary before publishing.

How is my score calculated?

Each of the forty words has exactly one correct spelling, identified by its exact letters rather than by where it sits in the list, and a correct pick earns credit toward your total. There is no penalty for guessing and no partial credit inside a single word. Your result shows how many of the forty you got right, a percentage and one of five descriptive bands. It does not compare you with other people, because we have no verified population norm for this test.

Does a low score mean I have dyslexia or a learning difficulty?

No. This test measures whether you can recognise one correctly spelled word among three misspellings, a narrower and easier task than producing correct spelling from memory while you write. A low score can reflect many ordinary things, from unfamiliarity with particular words to simply moving quickly through the questions. If spelling is getting in the way of your work or study, a qualified professional assessment is the right next step, not an online quiz.

Are the wrong answers realistic, or just scrambled letters?

Realistic. Each wrong option reflects a specific, commonly made error for that exact word: a letter doubled that should not be, a vowel that sounds the same as the correct one, a spelling rule applied the wrong way round, or a piece of the word left out. None of the wrong options are random letter swaps. They are the mistakes people actually type, which is what makes picking the right one a fair check.

Can I retake the test to see if I have improved?

The result page does not offer a one-click retake for this test, the same as our other tests with right and wrong answers, because the forty words never change. A second attempt would mostly measure how much of the first one you remember. You can still open the test again from this page whenever you like. If you do, a higher score usually means you reviewed the words you missed, not that your spelling changed in the meantime.

Is the spelling test free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, it is free. All forty words and your full result, including the overall band and all four pattern scores, are free to take and free to see. You do not need an account or an email address to view them. Signing up only becomes useful later, if you want to keep a record of your result.

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How Good Is Your Spelling? Free 40-Word Spelling Test

Take the free spelling test: 40 everyday words, four spellings each, one correct. Instant score and four pattern sub-scores, safe for US and UK English.

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The basics

What is the Spelling Test?

This Spelling Test checks whether you can recognise the correct spelling of a word. Each of the forty items is one everyday sentence with a blank, followed by four candidate spellings of the missing word: one is correct and three are mistakes people really make, such as a doubled letter that should not be doubled or a vowel that sounds right but is not. You pick the spelling that is correct, and every question has exactly one right answer. The words run from familiar office vocabulary to longer, less frequent ones, in three difficulty levels mixed through the test rather than grouped, so a run of easy words cannot carry your whole score. Every word spells the same way in American and British English, so nobody is marked down for using their own variety of the language.

Keep reading

Your result shows how many of the forty you got right and places you in one of five bands, from Early Days through Getting There, Solid and Sharp to Exceptional. Alongside the band you get four separate scores for the kind of pattern behind each word: doubled letters, vowel endings, letter patterns such as the order of i and e, and word structure, which covers prefixes, suffixes and words borrowed from French or Latin. The split matters because a low overall score usually has a pattern behind it. Someone who keeps dropping or adding a consonant needs different practice from someone who trips on vowels that sound alike. There is no email address to enter and no account to create before you see the result.

It helps to know what this test does and does not measure. It is recognition, not recall: you see the correct spelling among the options, which is an easier task than producing a word from memory while writing or from a spoken prompt, so a good score here does not guarantee clean spelling in a blank document. It does not test grammar, punctuation or word meaning (the Grammar Test covers usage, and the English Proficiency Test gives a broader level), and it does not measure handwriting or typing accuracy. It is a self-scored accuracy check, not an accredited certificate, and it is not a screen for dyslexia or any other learning difficulty. No percentile or comparison with other people is claimed, because there is no verified population norm for this test.

Closely related

What you get

What You'll Discover

Your overall spelling accuracy band, from Early Days to Exceptional

Your Doubled Letters score: whether a consonant doubles or stays single

Your Vowel Endings score: unstressed vowels that could be several letters

Your Letter Patterns score: rules such as the order of i and e

Your Word Structure score: prefixes, suffixes and borrowed words

Which pattern group is costing you the most points, and which words to revisit

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