Free tool · 2 minutes
Nine quick questions about what you actually see at home — letters, sounding out, fluency, and how your child feels about reading. You'll get a clear, supportive read on where they are and what to do next.
The questions change by age — reading milestones at 5 look nothing like milestones at 10.
Takes about 2 minutes · No email required to see your result
This quiz is a structured way to organise what you have already noticed. It is not an assessment, it cannot identify dyslexia or a language disorder, and a reassuring result does not rule anything out. Only a qualified evaluator can diagnose a reading difficulty. If you are concerned, ask your child's school for a formal reading screener or talk to your pediatrician — you do not need this quiz's permission to do either.
The questions in the quiz come from these milestones. If you would rather just read them, here they are.
Usually in place: Enjoys being read to and asks for books. Recognises most letters out of order and knows many letter sounds. Can hear rhymes and clap syllables. Can tell you the first sound in a spoken word. Can write their own name and retell a story in their own words.
Worth watching: Little interest in books, no rhyme awareness by age 5, or knowing letter names but not a single letter sound.
Usually in place: Blends spoken sounds into words (/c/ /a/ /t/ → cat). Knows a sound for every letter plus common teams like sh, ch and th. Sounds out unfamiliar words left to right rather than guessing from the picture. Reads simple decodable books with only occasional help. Recognises common words like the, said and was on sight.
Worth watching: Guessing words from the first letter or the picture, being unable to read a made-up word like 'zim', persistent letter reversals past mid-1st grade, or real distress when asked to read aloud.
Usually in place: Reading aloud starts to sound like talking, with expression. Breaks long words into chunks. Stays with a book independently for 15–20 minutes. Can tell you what a page was about after reading it silently.
Worth watching: Word-by-word, laboured reading; long words stopping them cold; reading the words accurately but retaining nothing; or a teacher flagging a below-benchmark screener score.
Usually in place: Pulls the main idea out of a textbook page or article. Infers word meanings from context. Reads something by choice — books, comics, articles, game wikis all count. Follows written homework instructions without an adult reading them aloud.
Worth watching: Needing everything read aloud to them, avoiding reading entirely, or comprehension that falls apart on non-fiction even though they can read the words.
The clearest signals are skill-based rather than speed-based. Before age 6, watch for whether your child can hear rhymes, isolate the first sound in a spoken word, and name most letters and their sounds. From age 6 to 8, watch whether they can blend sounds into words and sound out a word they have never seen — a child who can only read words they have memorised is the most commonly missed warning sign. From age 8 onward, watch for word-by-word, effortful reading and for comprehension that collapses when they read silently.
No. This quiz cannot diagnose dyslexia or any other condition, and no online questionnaire can. It is a structured way for a parent to notice patterns and decide whether to ask for a formal evaluation. If decoding is your child's sticking point — particularly sounding out unfamiliar or made-up words — ask your child's school specifically about dyslexia screening.
Slow reading is normal while a child is still learning to decode, roughly through the end of 1st grade. It becomes worth attention when it persists past that point, because effortful word reading consumes the mental capacity that comprehension needs. The fix is usually more practice with text at the right level, especially re-reading familiar passages, rather than pushing for speed directly.
Ask for the actual data rather than the reassurance: which reading screener was used, what your child scored, and what the benchmark was. 'Fine' sometimes means 'not the lowest in the class', which is a different thing. You are also entitled to request an evaluation in writing. In the meantime, daily structured phonics practice at home carries no downside for a child who turns out to be on track.
No. Older children can and do catch up, and the underlying skills — phonemic awareness and decoding — can be taught at any age. What changes with age is motivation: an older struggling reader has usually built up years of avoidance, so the practice material needs to respect their age while matching their reading level. Starting now is always better than waiting for it to resolve on its own, which is the one thing reading difficulties reliably do not do.
Do two things in parallel. Contact your child's school, ask for their screener results, and ask what intervention is available. At the same time, start 15 minutes a day of structured phonics practice at home. School processes move slowly, and the daily practice is what actually closes the gap while the paperwork happens.
Next: work out how many minutes a day your child should be reading, or browse our guides for struggling readers.