Dictation exercises in class, where English Language Learners need to listen and write down what they hear, is an excellent language-learning practice (you can learn more about these classroom lessons at The Best Resources For Learning How To Use The Dictogloss Strategy With English Language Learners).

I have had online dictation sites on The Best Listening Sites For English Language Learners, but several no longer exist.  So I though I’d create a separate “Best” list.

I’ve only included sites where students can type in what they hear and have their responses automatically assessed.

Here are my choices:

Listen and Write is a great free site.  After a quick registration and log-on,  A user first chooses a text he/she wants to hear read to him/her. There are lots of different choices and features – in fact, so many that you probably want to review the site with students before they try it.  Many of the choices are from the Voice of America, and are both high-interest and accessible. Their levels of difficulty are also indicated. Then the story is dictated to you, and you have to type it correctly. You can choose the speed of the reading and how often it’s repeated. When you type, only the correct letters actually show-up on the screen, and you can ask for hints.

The English Club has a series of simple and effective dictation exercises. They’re well organized, simple, don’t require registration, and have ones for a variety of English levels.

Quizlet is on The Best Tools To Make Online Flashcards list. They’ve added the great ability to have users listen to a word and then have to spell it. This dictation feature is excellent for ELL’s, and EFL Classroom has created a list of links to the best Quizlet dictation activities.

ESL Fast has some nice online dictations for ELLs.

Agenda Web also has links to some nice and simple dictations.