Dictation Practice

Dictation exercises train your listening comprehension and spelling simultaneously. Listen to sentences spoken by native speakers and type exactly what you hear - a powerful technique for developing accurate listening skills.

How Dictation Works

An audio clip plays a sentence in your target language
Listen carefully and type what you hear
You can replay the audio as many times as needed
Submit your transcription for feedback
See which parts were correct and which need improvement

Starting a Dictation Session

Access dictation practice from:

Learn → Exercises → Dictation
After watching videos, as a comprehension exercise
Within learning paths
Recommended practice based on your weak areas

Exercise Interface

Audio Player

Play Button: Play/pause the audio
Replay Counter: Shows how many times you've listened
Speed Control: Adjust playback speed (0.5x to 1x)
Sentence/Word Mode: Play whole sentence or word-by-word

Text Input

Type what you hear in the text box
Capitalization and punctuation matter
Special characters available via on-screen keyboard
Auto-correct is disabled for accuracy

Hint System

If you're stuck, hints are available:

Show First Letter: Reveals the first letter of each word
Show Word Count: Displays number of words in the sentence
Show Some Words: Reveals selected words, you fill in the rest
Show Translation: See meaning in your native language

Using hints reduces XP but helps you learn difficult passages.

👂 Pro Tip

On your first listen, try to catch the overall meaning and structure. On the second listen, focus on individual words. On the third, pay attention to exact spellings and connecting words. This multi-pass approach improves accuracy!

Difficulty Levels

Beginner (A1-A2)

Short sentences (5-8 words)
Slow, clear pronunciation
High-frequency vocabulary
Simple sentence structures
Minimal background noise

Intermediate (B1-B2)

Medium sentences (8-15 words)
Natural speaking pace
Varied vocabulary
Complex grammar structures
Some connected speech (liaisons, elisions)

Advanced (C1-C2)

Long, complex sentences (15+ words)
Fast, natural speech with accents
Idioms and colloquialisms
Background noise or multiple speakers
Technical or specialized vocabulary

Feedback & Scoring

Instant Feedback

After submitting your transcription, you see:

Correct Words: Highlighted in green
Incorrect Words: Highlighted in red with the correct version
Missing Words: Shown in gray (words you didn't type)
Extra Words: Words you added that weren't spoken

Accuracy Score

Calculated based on:

Percentage of words correct
Spelling accuracy
Punctuation correctness
Number of replays used (fewer replays = higher score)

Retry Option

See your mistakes and try again
Focus on specific words you missed
Improved accuracy on retry still earns XP

Types of Dictation

Sentence Dictation

Transcribe complete sentences. Standard format, most common.

Dialogue Dictation

Type conversations between multiple speakers:

Identify who is speaking
Transcribe natural back-and-forth dialogue
Practice real-world listening scenarios

Partial Dictation (Fill-in-the-Blank)

The sentence is partially shown with gaps:

Listen and fill in missing words only
Focus on specific vocabulary or grammar points
Faster practice sessions

Video Dictation

Transcribe sentences from actual video content:

Combined with visual context
More authentic listening experience
Practice with accents and speech variations

Playback Controls

Speed Adjustment

0.5x: Half speed, very clear for beginners
0.75x: Slightly slower, helpful for intermediate
1x: Normal speed, natural native pronunciation

Loop Section

Select a portion of the sentence to repeat
Focus on difficult words or phrases
Practice challenging sound combinations

Word-by-Word Mode

Play each word separately with pauses
Excellent for beginners or very difficult passages
Reduces XP earned but ensures comprehension

Special Characters & Input

For languages with non-standard characters:

On-screen keyboard with all special characters
Keyboard shortcuts for accents (e.g., Alt+E for é)
Character picker for non-Roman scripts
Autocomplete suggestions for complex characters (Premium)

Learning Benefits

Dictation practice improves:

Listening Comprehension: Train your ear to native speech
Spelling: Reinforce correct orthography
Pronunciation: Understand sound-spelling relationships
Grammar: Notice word forms and sentence structures
Concentration: Develop focused listening skills
Confidence: Prepare for real-world conversations

Session Customization

Tailor your practice:

Length: 5, 10, or 20 sentences
Topic: Choose specific themes (news, conversation, academic, etc.)
Grammar Focus: Practice specific tenses or structures
Accent: Focus on specific regional accents (Premium)
Difficulty: Match or challenge your level

Progress Tracking

Monitor your dictation improvement:

Average accuracy percentage over time
Most improved areas (specific sounds or word types)
Sentences completed and time spent
Common errors and patterns to practice

Keyboard Shortcuts

Space: Play/pause audio
R: Replay sentence
Ctrl + Enter: Submit answer
Ctrl + H: Show hint
-/+: Decrease/increase playback speed

Related Exercises

Watching Videos - Source of authentic listening material
Shadowing Practice - Pronunciation improvement
Sentence Builder - Grammar and structure

Dictation Practice