Dictation words for Class 1 to 10

Set 1 - Three-letter words, sounded out

1. cat - The cat sat on the mat.
2. sun - The sun is very hot today.
3. bed - I go to bed at eight.
4. pin - Amma keeps a pin in her sari.
5. dog - Our dog barks at the gate.
6. cup - Pour the milk into my cup.
7. hat - Wear a hat in the sun.
8. red - My school bag is red.

Set 2 - Four-letter words and first blends

1. milk - Drink your milk before school.
2. jump - I can jump over the rope.
3. hand - Raise your hand to answer.
4. ship - The big ship is on the sea.
5. fish - A fish swims in the pond.
6. bell - The school bell rang loudly.
7. frog - A green frog hopped away.
8. star - One star is shining brightly.

Set 3 - Sight words that break the rules

1. the - Give me the pencil, please.
2. and - I like rice and dal.
3. you - Can you help me?
4. was - It was a rainy day.
5. said - My teacher said well done.
6. come - Please come inside now.
7. they - They are my friends.
8. here - Put your bag here.

Set 1 - Two-syllable everyday words

1. happy - I am happy to see you.
2. water - Please fill the water bottle.
3. table - Keep the plates on the table.
4. garden - There are roses in the garden.
5. little - A little bird sat on the wire.
6. yellow - The mango is yellow and sweet.
7. monkey - A monkey took the banana.
8. pencil - My pencil needs sharpening.

Set 2 - Blends at the start and end

1. brush - Brush your teeth twice a day.
2. clock - The clock on the wall is slow.
3. grass - The grass is wet with dew.
4. plant - We will plant a tree today.
5. sweet - This jalebi is very sweet.
6. dream - I had a strange dream last night.
7. string - Tie the kite with a long string.
8. spoon - Eat the curd with a spoon.

Set 3 - Common words that trip children up

1. because - I stayed home because I was ill.
2. friend - My best friend sits beside me.
3. school - Our school starts at eight.
4. family - My whole family came to the wedding.
5. morning - We do yoga every morning.
6. always - She always finishes her homework.
7. people - Many people came to the fair.
8. thank - Thank your teacher politely.

Set 1 - Everyday words of two and three syllables

1. kitchen - Amma is cooking in the kitchen.
2. blanket - Pull the blanket up, it is cold.
3. holiday - Monday is a public holiday.
4. evening - We play cricket in the evening.
5. picture - Draw a picture of your house.
6. birthday - My birthday is in August.
7. village - My grandparents live in a village.
8. market - We buy vegetables at the market.

Set 2 - Harder blends and silent letters

1. bridge - The bridge crosses the river.
2. splash - The bucket fell with a splash.
3. stretch - Stretch your arms above your head.
4. thunder - The thunder woke the baby.
5. chimney - Smoke came out of the chimney.
6. whistle - The referee blew his whistle.
7. knock - Please knock before you enter.
8. wrist - He wears a watch on his wrist.

Set 3 - Words that are not spelled the way they sound

1. enough - I have had enough rice.
2. laugh - That joke made us all laugh.
3. caught - He caught the ball with one hand.
4. eight - There are eight children in the team.
5. night - The stars come out at night.
6. right - Turn right at the temple.
7. could - I could not find my shoe.
8. would - Would you like some tea?

Set 1 - Longer words and the -tion, -ure endings

1. journey - The journey to Mysore took four hours.
2. machine - The washing machine is very noisy.
3. question - Put your hand up if you have a question.
4. treasure - The pirates buried the treasure.
5. mountain - We climbed the mountain slowly.
6. calendar - Mark the date on the calendar.
7. ceiling - A fan hangs from the ceiling.
8. neighbour - Our neighbour gave us mangoes.

Set 2 - The ie and ei words, and one homophone pair

1. measure - Measure the cloth before you cut it.
2. science - Science is my favourite subject.
3. believe - I believe every word she says.
4. receive - Did you receive my letter?
5. achieve - You can achieve a lot in one year.
6. weather - The weather is cloudy this morning.
7. whether - I cannot decide whether to go.
8. through - The train went through a tunnel.

Set 3 - British spellings and words about character

1. honour - It is an honour to meet you.
2. colour - What colour is your new bag?
3. favourite - Idli is my favourite breakfast.
4. separate - Keep the wet clothes separate.
5. quarrel - The two boys had a small quarrel.
6. sincere - She gave a sincere apology.
7. obedient - Their dog is very obedient.
8. courage - It takes courage to admit a mistake.

Set 1 - Long words with double letters

1. necessary - It is necessary to carry your identity card.
2. business - My uncle runs a small business.
3. government - The government opened a new library.
4. temperature - The temperature dropped after the rain.
5. environment - Planting trees helps the environment.
6. restaurant - We ate dosa at a restaurant.
7. vegetable - Carrot is my favourite vegetable.
8. February - Her exams begin in February.

Set 2 - Silent letters and awkward vowels

1. knowledge - Reading widens your knowledge.
2. strength - He lifted the box with great strength.
3. straight - Draw a straight line with the ruler.
4. thorough - She did a thorough job of cleaning.
5. familiar - That song sounds familiar.
6. jewellery - Amma keeps her jewellery in a locker.
7. mischief - The kittens were up to some mischief.
8. ancient - Hampi has many ancient temples.

Set 3 - Words used constantly in writing

1. opposite - The shop is opposite the bank.
2. ordinary - It was an ordinary Tuesday.
3. particular - He is particular about his handwriting.
4. immediately - Come home immediately after school.
5. especially - I like fruit, especially guava.
6. definitely - I will definitely finish it tonight.
7. difference - Can you see the difference?
8. experience - The trek was a wonderful experience.

Set 1 - Words from Social Science and Science

1. rhythm - Clap along with the rhythm of the song.
2. foreign - She is learning a foreign language.
3. monument - The Charminar is a famous monument.
4. celebrate - We celebrate Diwali with lamps.
5. ceremony - The prize ceremony is on Friday.
6. curiosity - His curiosity led him to the library.
7. discipline - Good discipline is not the same as fear.
8. emergency - Call this number in an emergency.

Set 2 - Words with unexpected middles

1. guarantee - The shop gave a one-year guarantee.
2. hesitate - Do not hesitate to ask for help.
3. imagination - Her imagination filled the whole page.
4. laboratory - We did the experiment in the laboratory.
5. magnificent - The fort looked magnificent at sunset.
6. mysterious - A mysterious parcel arrived today.
7. navigate - Sailors navigate using the stars.
8. obstacle - The fallen tree was an obstacle on the road.

Set 3 - The double-letter traps

1. parliament - Laws are debated in parliament.
2. permanent - Use a permanent marker on the label.
3. persuade - He tried to persuade me to come.
4. pleasant - It was a pleasant evening by the lake.
5. possession - The old watch is his dearest possession.
6. precious - Water is precious in summer.
7. pressure - Check the air pressure in the tyres.
8. privilege - It is a privilege to speak here.

Set 1 - Describing words used in essays

1. abundant - Mangoes are abundant in May.
2. adequate - One hour is adequate for this test.
3. ambitious - She is an ambitious young athlete.
4. anxious - He felt anxious before the interview.
5. apparent - The reason soon became apparent.
6. appreciate - I appreciate your help with the project.
7. approximate - Give me an approximate number.
8. acquaintance - He is an acquaintance, not a close friend.

Set 2 - Words about people and groups

1. benefit - Regular reading has one clear benefit.
2. brilliant - That was a brilliant catch.
3. category - Sort the books into each category.
4. colleague - My father travelled with a colleague.
5. committee - The committee met on Saturday.
6. competition - She won the drawing competition.
7. conscience - His conscience troubled him all week.
8. consequence - Every choice has a consequence.

Set 3 - Words with awkward endings

1. convenient - Six o'clock is a convenient time.
2. criticism - He took the criticism calmly.
3. deceive - Do not let the calm sea deceive you.
4. dependent - The plan is dependent on the weather.
5. desperate - They made a desperate attempt to win.
6. deteriorate - The old bridge began to deteriorate.
7. determine - The referee will determine the result.
8. descendant - He is a descendant of that royal family.

Set 1 - Formal words used in answers

1. efficient - The new pump is far more efficient.
2. eligible - Only Class 8 students are eligible to enter.
3. embarrass - Please do not embarrass him in front of others.
4. emphasise - I want to emphasise one point.
5. enthusiasm - She sang with great enthusiasm.
6. equipment - The sports equipment is kept in the store room.
7. exaggerate - Do not exaggerate the size of the fish.
8. excellent - Your handwriting is excellent.

Set 2 - Science and reasoning words

1. exhausted - We were exhausted after the trek.
2. existence - The village came into existence a century ago.
3. experiment - Record what you see during the experiment.
4. extraordinary - It was an extraordinary performance.
5. fascinate - Insects fascinate my younger brother.
6. feasible - The plan is simple and feasible.
7. financial - The club keeps a financial record.
8. fluorescent - A fluorescent lamp lit the corridor.

Set 3 - Words with one letter people always add or drop

1. fulfil - He worked hard to fulfil his promise.
2. genuine - That was a genuine mistake.
3. gorgeous - The sunset was gorgeous.
4. grateful - I am grateful for your patience.
5. guardian - A parent or guardian must sign the form.
6. harass - No one has the right to harass another student.
7. humorous - He wrote a humorous essay about goats.
8. hygiene - Hand hygiene keeps illness away.

Set 1 - Words about ideas and argument

1. identical - The twins wore identical shirts.
2. immediate - The medicine gave immediate relief.
3. incredible - She told an incredible story.
4. independent - India became independent in 1947.
5. indispensable - A good dictionary is indispensable.
6. inevitable - A delay in the monsoon seemed inevitable.
7. influence - His teacher had a lasting influence on him.
8. ingenious - That was an ingenious solution.

Set 2 - Words about institutions and thinking

1. initiative - She took the initiative and started a club.
2. innocent - The court found him innocent.
3. inquiry - The school held an inquiry into the incident.
4. institute - He joined a research institute in Pune.
5. intelligence - Kindness matters as much as intelligence.
6. interfere - Try not to interfere in their argument.
7. interpret - Two readers may interpret the poem differently.
8. irrelevant - That detail is irrelevant to the question.

Set 3 - The genuinely hard ones

1. jealous - He was jealous of his cousin's new bicycle.
2. judgement - The umpire used his own judgement.
3. legitimate - She had a legitimate reason for being late.
4. leisure - He reads poetry in his leisure hours.
5. liaison - One teacher acts as a liaison with the parents.
6. lieutenant - The lieutenant led the parade.
7. literature - Tamil literature goes back two thousand years.
8. luxurious - The hotel lobby was quite luxurious.

Set 1 - Words adults get wrong too

1. maintenance - The lift is closed for maintenance.
2. manoeuvre - The driver made a careful manoeuvre.
3. marriage - Their marriage was a quiet affair.
4. mediocre - The film was mediocre at best.
5. millennium - The temple has stood for a millennium.
6. miniature - He collects miniature paintings.
7. miscellaneous - Put the odd items in the miscellaneous box.
8. mortgage - They took a mortgage to buy the flat.

Set 2 - Double letters in the wrong places

1. negotiate - The two sides met to negotiate.
2. noticeable - There was a noticeable improvement.
3. nuisance - The mosquitoes were a real nuisance.
4. occasion - He wears that kurta on every special occasion.
5. occurrence - A total eclipse is a rare occurrence.
6. omission - The omission of her name was an error.
7. opponent - Shake hands with your opponent.
8. parallel - The two roads run parallel to each other.

Set 3 - Exam-level vocabulary

1. perseverance - Her perseverance finally paid off.
2. phenomenon - The aurora is a natural phenomenon.
3. physique - The athlete had a powerful physique.
4. plausible - He gave a plausible explanation.
5. prejudice - Judge the work without prejudice.
6. prestige - The award carries great prestige.
7. questionnaire - Please fill in the questionnaire.
8. rehearsal - The final rehearsal is tomorrow.