How do I do dictation practice with YouTube?

By the RepeatWatch team · Updated

Quick answer

Dictation practice with YouTube means writing down a short clip word for word, then checking it. Loop one sentence of 5 to 10 seconds, play it up to five times at 1× while you write, then compare with the transcript. Sort each error by cause and loop the missed words at 0.8× until you hear them.

Try this now: loop one sentence from any video three times and write it down. Count the words you missed. Under three per sentence means the video is a good level for you.

How to do dictation practice with RepeatWatch

  1. Choose a video with an accurate transcript. Learner videos with checked subtitles, or a dictation lesson, work best. Paste the link into RepeatWatch.
  2. Loop one sentence. Set A and B around a sentence of 5 to 10 seconds. Set Stop after to 5 loops so you get a fixed number of listens.
  3. Write it with a pause between plays. Set Pause between loops to 3 s. Write as it plays and fill gaps in the pause. Don’t look at subtitles yet.
  4. Check word by word. Compare with the transcript. Mark each error as: didn’t hear, heard but didn’t know the word, or knew it but misspelled it.
  5. Loop the missed words at 0.8×. Narrow A and B to each "didn’t hear" error. Set 0.8× and the trainer at +0.1× every 5 loops to 1×.
  6. Keep a score. Count errors per sentence and save hard sentences as sections. Redo them in a week to see the difference.

Try it now: paste a YouTube link.

5 common mistakes

  • Looping long passages. A sentence you can’t hold in memory turns into guessing.
  • Checking subtitles before writing, which turns dictation into copying.
  • Counting errors without sorting them, so you don’t know whether to work on hearing or vocabulary.
  • Playing it unlimited times. Set a fixed number of listens to keep it honest.
  • Skipping the slow replay of missed words, which is where most of the learning happens.

Frequently asked questions

Is dictation good for language learning?

Dictation is a long-standing classroom exercise: writing down spoken text shows exactly which words you hear and which you miss. That makes it a precise check on listening, spelling and grammar together.

How many times should I listen before checking?

Three to five listens per sentence is a good rule. Setting Stop after to 5 loops in RepeatWatch keeps the number fixed, so your scores are comparable from day to day.

What should I do with the words I missed?

Loop each missed word or phrase at 0.8× until you hear it, say it out loud, then hear it again at full speed. Save the sentence as a section to redo next week.

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