5–10 minutes

Dyslexia Screening Test

A short reading check you run at home with your child. It looks at how well they sound out unfamiliar words and how comfortably they read real words at their grade level. It takes five to ten minutes and gives you a clear screening result — not a diagnosis.

IReading — Reading Assessment
FREE · 5–10 MINUTES

A quick dyslexia screening test for your child.

Is your child with you? This quick 5–10 minute screening can help identify signs of dyslexia and other reading difficulties. The assessment is designed to provide insight into your child’s reading skills and areas where they may need additional support.

At the end, you'll get a free, detailed report about your child's phonics skills, including their risk level in each area screened. Let's get started!

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Please select your child's current grade.
READ BEFORE YOU START

How to give the dyslexia screening test.

  1. Your child will see each word on the screen. Your child will see each word on the screen. Ask them to say the word out loud. Please don’t read the words for them.
  2. Score only the first attempt. Only their first pronunciation counts. If they self-correct or say "I don't know," score it as incorrect.
  3. Don't coach. Encourage effort, but don't correct or teach. We need to see what they can do on their own.
  4. Use Hear It if you're unsure. Some words are unfamiliar or made-up combinations you may not know how to pronounce. Tap Hear It to check before scoring. (Don't tap Hear It until after your child reads the word.)
  5. Keyboard shortcuts. Tap − for incorrect, + for correct. Space to play audio. Or use the on-screen buttons.

Word lists are adapted from the Quick Phonics Screener (Hasbrouck, J., & Parker, R., 2001. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University).

PHONICS SKILLS SCREENER

Quick Phonics Screener

This section checks five key phonics skills, one at a time: VC & CVC words, CVCC & CCVC words, silent-e (CVC-e) words, r-controlled vowels, and consonant digraphs.

Each skill is scored on its own — this tells us exactly which phonics patterns your child has mastered and which ones may need more support.

Adapted from Hasbrouck, J., & Parker, R. (2001). Quick Phonics Screener. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University.

VERSION 3.2
VC & CVC WORDS · GRADE 1 1 / 10
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KEYBOARD: SPACE TO HEAR

Nicely done.

One more section to go. Take a breather — the next part uses real words instead of nonsense ones.

SECTION 2 OF 2

Grade-Level
Word Reading

These are real words from texts at each grade level. We start a few grade levels below your child's actual grade, then work upward until we find their reading ceiling.

The word lists are the published San Diego Quick Assessment (La Pray & Ross, 1969).

REAL WORDS · GRADE 2 1 / 10
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KEYBOARD: SPACE TO HEAR

You did it!

We have all the data we need.

Parents — please stop sharing your screen with your child before continuing.
Your child's results are for your eyes only.

Assessment complete.

The results report is ready. Download it below as a PDF.

IReading · results form link coming soon

Questions parents ask

What is the iReading Tutor Dyslexia Screening Test?

It is a short, parent-administered reading check. In about five to ten minutes it gives you a snapshot of how your child handles two different reading demands, and tells you whether a full evaluation is worth looking into.

What does it actually test?

Two things, back to back. First, made-up or nonsense words that follow patterns found in English syllable types. Because your child has never seen these words before, they cannot rely on memorization or sight-word recognition. This shows whether they can truly decode unfamiliar words.

Second, real words from graded lists (the San Diego Quick Assessment, La Pray & Ross, 1969), which shows the reading level your child handles comfortably.

Strong sight-word reading paired with weak decoding is a pattern worth investigating.

Who is it for?

Parents, teachers and guardians of school-age children, roughly kindergarten through high school, who have noticed slow, effortful, or frustrating reading and want a clearer picture before deciding what to do next.

How long does it take?

Most families finish in five to ten minutes. There is no timer, and you can go at whatever pace keeps your child comfortable.

Is this a diagnosis?

No. This screening does not diagnose dyslexia. Only a qualified professional can do that, using a full evaluation. What this gives you is an informed signal about whether that step makes sense.

What should I do after I get my results?

If the result comes back low, keep reading together and re-check in a few months. If it comes back moderate or elevated, share the results with your child's teacher, ask about the school's reading support process, and consider a normed structured literacy assessment — WIST or WIAT-4 — and start remediation with a certified Structured Literacy, Orton-Gillingham learning specialist. We are happy to talk through the options with you.

Who should administer it?

An adult who can sit beside the child and stay neutral. Show the word, let the child read it aloud, and mark the first attempt honestly. No hints, no corrections, no second tries — coaching makes the result less useful, not kinder.

Can I run it again for another child?

Yes. Each run is scored separately. Use the “Screen another child” button on the results page to start a clean session.