If you are a student who is preparing for IELTS, you already know how tough mastering the IELTS Listening Spelling test can be. What makes this much more important and tough is that this section carries almost 25% of the overall marks, which can have a great impact on your IELTS score. So, how can you master the art of IELTS listening vocabulary? For starters, you can learn about some of the most commonly used words and the most commonly misspelled ones. Read on to find them!
Table of Contents
Common IELTS listening Words for Days of the Week
Common IELTS listening Words for Subjects:
Common IELTS listening Words for Study:
Common IELTS listening Words for Work:
Common IELTS Listening Words for Months of the Year
Common IELTS listening Words for Studying at College/University
Common IELTS Listening Words for Countries
Common IELTS listening Words for Job
For starters, the IELTS Listening test is not that different for both the General and Academic Training exams. But what is its purpose? This test evaluates your ability to understand spoken English, including key points, details, opinions, and overall messages in conversations or talks.
Now, what about IELTS Listening Spelling? In this section, you'll listen to four different recordings and answer a total of 40 questions, where accurate spelling plays a crucial role in securing a good score.
Another important thing to remember while listening spelling for IELTS is that you will only get to hear these recordings once. So, it is extremely important for you to stay focused during the whole 30-minute test.
Also, you will be given scores out of 40 but the final band score will be between 1 and 9, so make sure you do well improve your vocabulary, and avoid common mistakes.
P.S. - You will also get to hear some different accents because IELTS is an international exam.
Also Read: IELTS Listening Map Questions
So why do spellings for IELTS matter so much? It surely can't be that hard, considering all you have to do is to hear the answer and write it down. Well, it's not as easy as it might seem because if you make even a tiny spelling mistake in the IELTS Listening test, your overall marks can get hampered.
Below are a few more reasons why IELTS spelling practice is so important:
1. No Points for Incorrect Answers
IELTS has strict rules which are quite different from the ones most students are used to. So, if you spell any word incorrectly, you'll lose your points even if the meaning is correct.
2. Tricky Words
IELTS generally uses tricky words like "accommodation," "maintenance," "psychology," and others that most of us don't use in our day-to-day life. So it gets really important to master IELTS vocabulary to score better.
3. Different Accents
As mentioned above, IELTS is an international test, so you will hear different accents as well. These accents are generally British, Australian, and American, and one word can have different pronunciations, which can make you confused.
4. Multitasking Under Pressure
Additionally, during the whole test, you are doing multiple tasks simultaneously. You are listening to words, understanding them, and then writing them down. So, if you hesitate for even a small amount of time, you might end up missing the next part of the recording.
As you already know, vocabulary makes up 25% of your overall IELTS Listening score, so you need to learn commonly used listening words for IELTS. The more familiar you get with these words, the easier it’ll be for you to score higher on your test.
The sooner you start IELTS spelling practice, the higher your chances of getting a Band 8 on your tests. Plus, learning words from different topics will make it easier to understand recordings in the test.
Below is a list of various listening words for IELTS, along with their correct spellings, so you can avoid these mistakes and score higher!
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
weekdays |
weekend |
Archeology | Philosophy |
Biology | Architecture |
Geology | Science |
Literature | Statistics |
Performing arts | Politics |
Psychology | Agriculture |
Accommodation | Deadline |
Attendance | Resources |
Certificate | Graduation |
Curricular activities | Course work |
Dictionary | Commencement |
Experiment | Department |
Higher education | Faculty |
Intermediate | Placement |
Lecture | Laboratory |
Schedule | Bachelor |
Specialization | Feedback |
Stationery | Guidelines |
University | Supervisor |
Appointment | Opportunity |
Clerk | Accountant |
Designation | Occupation |
Employee | Organization |
Industrial | Profession |
Promotion | Reward |
Recruit | Interviewee |
Retire | Receptionist |
Volunteer | facilities |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
October |
November |
December |
Advanced | Introduction | Background |
Compound | Campus | International student |
Dining | Primary | Secondary |
Eraser | Higher education | Overseas |
Group discussion | Seminar | Handout |
Homestay | Speech | Laptop |
Library | Study room | Canteen |
PG (postgraduate) | UG (undergraduate) | Reunion |
Photocopy | Course outline | Syllabus |
Principal | Staff | Lecturers |
Research paper | Report writing | Experience |
Topic | Main hall | Student advisor |
University | Speech | Give a talk |
Vocabulary | Student support system | Student retention |
Written work | Book | Notes |
Australia | Ireland | Netherlands |
Canada | Egypt | Mexico |
China | Brazil | New Zealand |
Germany | Malaysia | Pakistan |
Norway | Sweden | Dubai |
Portugal | Argentina | England |
Russia | The United States of America | (USA) |
Scotland | North Korea | Turkey |
Singapore | Philippines | Denmark |
Zimbabwe | India | South Africa |
Accountant | Guard |
Architect | Engineer |
Designer | Occupation |
Flight attendant | Cashier |
Freelance | Secretary |
Mail address | Receptionist |
Office assistant | Clerk |
Pilot | Lecturer |
Profession | Decorator |
Specialist | Manager |
Vacancy | Professor |
Volunteer | Craftsman |
Waiter | Teacher |
Waitress | Psychologist |
Work experience | Curriculum vitae |
Also Read: Listening Practice Test Sample
Now that you know what are the common IELTS listening spelling words, it’s time for you to learn about some of the most commonly misspelled words. Also, know that most students make mistakes in labeling and note completion questions. So, to avoid that, we have curated a list of common mistakes in spelling of listening in IELTS based on different types.
Explore 100+ IELTS Listening Practice Tests with Answers to Prepare for Listening Section
Don’t Miss OutIt has commonly been found during tests that students get confused about whether the word has one letter or two. So, to make things easier, below are commonly used listening words for IELTS that can reduce your struggle:
Affordable | Cassette | Antenna |
Attendance | Assessment | Commencement |
Attendant | Assistant | Curriculum |
Balloon | Narrow | Passenger |
Basketball | Volleyball | Jet-Skiing |
Blackcurrant | Pizza | Waterfall |
Business | Unnecessary | Tomorrow |
Cliff | Village | Hurricane |
Commerce | Umbrella | Traffic Jams |
Copper | Rubber | Cotton |
Current | Account | Classroom |
Different | Pepper | Misspell |
Discuss | Arrange | Immigrate |
Dissertation | Questionnaire | Pepper |
Embarrassment | Accommodation | Annual |
Employee | Attraction | Immense |
Farewell | Welfare | Satellite |
Fulfillment | Attitude | Passport |
Mammals | The Philippines | Terraced House |
Millennium | Midday | Address |
Opportunity | Illiteracy | Sufficient |
Paddle Steamer | Cottage | Swimming Pool |
Parallel | Success | Possess |
Pottery | Collection | Billiards |
Recommend | Process | Apparel |
Shopping | Reference | Assumption |
Soccer | Bungee Jumping | Football |
Homophones are the listening words that sound the same, but their spellings are different! Here are some of the most common word pairs to watch out for:
Accept – except | Peace – piece | Plain – plane |
Capital – capitol | Choral – coral | Chili – chilly |
Cite – site – sight | Die -dye | Council – counsel |
Discreet – discrete | Flue – flew -flu | Daft – daught |
Genes – jeans | Marshal – martial | Hole – whole |
Loose – lose | Principle – principal | Affect – effect |
Sauce – source | For – four – fore | Sore – soar |
Scene – seen | Steal – steel | Stationary – stationery |
Their – there – they’re | Band – banned | Hour – our |
Weather – whether | You’re – your | Whose – who’s |
During the listening spelling task, some letters are silent. However, you still need to include them when writing!
Autumn | Column |
Breeze | Glue |
Castle | Whistle |
Comb | Lamb |
Conscious | Knowledge |
Dangerous | Luxurious |
Drought | Reliable |
Environment | Government |
Europe | Catastrophe |
Exciting | Plumber. |
Foreign | Catalogue |
Insurance | Lane |
Kitchen | Colleague |
Knowledgeable | Climbing |
Memorable | Confidence |
Palace | Sculpture |
Psychologist | Fortnight |
Renewable | Switzerland |
Science | Discipline |
Wednesday | June |
Above are some of the common IELTS listening practice test words that can help you score better marks, but what about some tips to make you much more efficient? Below are some of them:
1. Get Comfortable with Different Accents: The first of our IELTS listening tips is to get comfortable with different accents. Instead of sticking to just the BBC, you can try tuning into smaller regional radio stations or watching TV shows from various places.
2. Stay Focused: It is also normal to get distracted during your IELTS Listening test, so try to stay focused to get the Band of 7 or higher. You can improve your focus by practicing active listening.
3. Follow instructions closely: Second practice dictation words for IELTS and follow all the instructions closely. For example, if the question says "No more than three words," you need to stick to that.
4. Learn The Question Types: Knowing what kinds of IELTS listening spelling questions to expect can help you feel more confident on your test day.
5. Practice Listening Only Once: Lastly, practice listening only once. Since you get one chance to hear the recording, you should also avoid replaying the audio multiple times. Treat it like exam conditions and listen just once to get the hang of it.
Sometimes, listening to spelling can feel like a small task, but it can make a huge impact on the IELTS Listening test. You can either get the perfect 8-band score or risk it completely. A simple spelling mistake can cost you marks even if you understand the recordings perfectly.
If you want to improve your IELTS listening vocabulary and overall IELTS score, then Gradding.com can help. Our expert guidance, practice resources, and personalized tips make IELTS preparation easier and more effective.
FAQs
1. How to Improve Listening Spelling?
You can improve listening and spelling by practising and writing commonly used IELTS words and checking out dictation exercises.
2. Does IELTS Check Spelling?
Yes! In the IELTS Listening Test, Spelling is an important part and can cost you marks even if your answers are correct.
3. What Is the Common Spelling Mistake in IELTS Listening?
One of the most common mistakes most students make is using double letters (like accommodation), silent letters (like a receipt), and tricky words (like necessary or maintenance).
4. How to Avoid Spelling Mistakes in IELTS?
You can avoid spelling mistakes in IELTS by practising regularly learning common IELTS vocabulary and reviewing tricky words.
5. How Many Spelling Mistakes Are Allowed in IELTS Writing?
While there's no fixed number, too many spelling mistakes can lower your score under the "Lexical Resource" criteria. So you should try to minimize them to keep your score high!
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