SpellingIQ

Free · No signup · 90 seconds

The free online spelling test that keeps score

Eight words, read aloud, typed with autocorrect off. You get one number back: your SpellingIQ.

Start the spelling test

8 words · about 90 seconds · headphones help

Or play today's five-word puzzle →
  • No account required
  • No autocorrect, no hints
  • Scored against everyone else

How it works

01

Hear the word

Spoken aloud like a bee. Definition and example sentence on request, replays unlimited.

02

Type it blind

Spell-check and autocomplete are switched off in the field. Nothing rescues a guess.

03

Get your number

One score on a 300–2200 scale, plus a letter-by-letter diff of everything you missed.

Why an audio spelling test is harder than a multiple-choice one

Most spelling tests online show you four spellings and ask you to pick the right one. That measures recognition, which is the easy half of the skill. You can recognise accommodate perfectly well and still type it with one M when nobody is offering options.

This test never shows you the word. You hear it, and you produce it from memory, one letter at a time. That is recall, and it is the thing that actually fails you in an email at 11pm. It is also why scores here tend to land lower than people expect.

How the score is calculated

Every word carries a difficulty weight learned from how often other players get it right. Spelling a word almost nobody gets moves your rating a long way; missing one almost everybody gets moves it a long way in the other direction. The result is a single number on a 300–2200 scale. Most adults first land somewhere around 900–1200, and the interesting part is watching yours climb.

The test stops at eight words when the answer is clear and asks a few more when your score is sitting on a boundary. That is deliberate: a test that always asks the same number of questions is either too long for most people or too vague for the rest.

What to do with a bad score

Nothing about a spelling test is useful unless something happens afterwards. Every word you miss is added to a review queue and comes back days later, when you have had time to forget it. The gap is the part that makes it stick. Miss it twice and it becomes a Nemesis word that follows you until you beat it.

Questions people ask

Is the spelling test really free?
Yes. The eight-word test is free and needs no account, no card and no download. You only sign in if you want your score and streak saved between visits.
How long does the spelling test take?
About ninety seconds. Eight words, plus a few extra if your score sits on the fence between two levels and needs settling.
What is a good SpellingIQ score?
The best score is a rising one: a number that moved is worth more than a number that is high. Scores run from 300 to 2200 and map onto the Daily Five levels: Starter 300–500, Learner 500–900, Normal 900–1200, Skilled 1200–1500, Expert 1500–1800, Genius 1800+. Most adults first place somewhere around 900–1200 (Normal), and a few minutes of practice a day moves that faster than anything else, because the words you miss come back until you get them.
Is this an actual IQ test?
No. SpellingIQ is a game rating for spelling ability only. It is not a clinical or psychometric IQ measure and should not be used as one.
British or American spelling?
American English is the canonical answer, but common British variants such as colour and organise are accepted where reasonable. The point is knowing the word, not winning an argument about the Atlantic.

Ready when you are.

Eight words, read aloud, typed with autocorrect off. You get one number back: your SpellingIQ.

Start the spelling test

Keep going

SpellingIQ is a game rating for spelling ability, not a clinical or psychometric IQ measure. American English is canonical; common variants are accepted.