What words should you use for an English dictation test for kids?

For an English dictation test for young children, use words they have already met in class, and add a small number of new words that they can work out from sounds. Keep the list short and tied to the week's lesson. The Hong Kong Education Bureau's dictation handbook follows this approach, and it is the most detailed checked guidance we found. We did not find a published, checked word list for UKG dictation in English, so treat any list here as a starting point to match against your school's syllabus.

Start with words from this week's lesson

The handbook describes a phonics dictation that does two things at once. It revises the vocabulary pupils have learnt, and it asks them to spell a few less familiar words by applying their phonics skills ¹. The handbook's example words for that second step are popcorn and peppers, which are harder than the words children have already practised.

A simple list follows that pattern:

The examples are common words that fit the pattern above. They are not taken from a school syllabus, so swap in the words your class has actually used.

Keep the words in a context

The handbook says dictation, like all English learning activities, should be contextualised so that pupils can seek and process information ². For children, that means a theme. If the unit is about animals, dictate a sentence about a dog and a cat, rather than a random list of words. The theme helps the child guess a spelling from the meaning, and it makes the test look like the lesson.

Score each spelling error once

The handbook says marks should not be deducted for repeated mistakes ³. The handbook's reasoning is that repeating one misspelling does not show the same ability as several different errors. Count the error once, and record the word for practice. That gives a more useful picture than a score that drops with every repeat.

Teachers can also use dictation to see progress over time. The handbook describes dictation as more than a testing device, and as a useful way for teachers to understand learning progress ⁴.

Repeat missed words after a gap

Review the words a child missed a few days later rather than the same day. The 2006 review by Cepeda and colleagues found that the gap between study sessions that gave the best retention grew as the retention period grew ⁵. That review tested verbal recall, not spelling tests for children, so use it as a reason to repeat missed words after a gap, not as a fixed schedule.

It depends on the class and the child

The handbook's examples come from primary English classes in Hong Kong. Its word examples are not grade-level lists. A list for UKG should follow the words your school teaches, and the sounds your class has covered. A child who is still learning letter sounds needs shorter words with regular spelling, while a stronger child can take longer words and a sentence.

For children learning Hindi at the same time, the spelling rules are different. See our page on Hindi dictation words without matra. For the wider method, read the guide to dictation for language learning, or the overview of dictation languages and accents.

What to do

1. Take ten words from this week's lesson, and check each one is spelled as the class has taught it.
2. Add two or three words that use the sounds the child has practised.
3. Add one or two new words, and say each one in a short sentence with a theme.
4. Score each spelling error once, and note the word.
5. Test the missed words again a few days later.

If you want a voice check after a child has written the words, voice typing can show what a recognizer heard, but it is not a spelling test. Use the child's own writing for the score.