Frequently Asked Questions
Quiz Related
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eSpindle uses American voices for the audio in the quizzes. Our main focus are US-American spelling conventions.
Our database will accept alternative spelling conventions (if accepted by Merriam-Webster) and British English spelling variations as well.
On the final answer screen it will always display the standard American English spelling.
 If you don't see buttons when starting the quiz, you need to install the Flash player.
A Flash player is a program that is used by over 98% of all web users to enjoy fast loading audio, animation and more.
Installation is very easy to do: Just click here to download the latest player - a small, safe file that will make the Internet a lot more fun!
If your quiz loads as a white screen, you'll need to update your Flash player to the latest version.
This website is designed to work with all common browsers, both on Macintoshs and PCs.
However, since every browser displays the information provided a little bit differently, we do recommend Firefox. With Mozilla's Firefox browser you can use the keyboard to navigate through the quizzes with ease and speed. If you have not already done so, please click here to download this great browser for free; it will soon become your favorite! Installation will automatically import favorites and other settings from your former browser.
If you can't see the full quiz, simply increase your screen's resolution.
PC users click on the Start button in the bottom left corner, then Settings , then Control Panel, then Display.
In the Display Properties box click on Settings, and move the pointer in the screen resolution field to 1024x768 or higher.
Mac users can change screen settings by clicking on the Apple icon in the top left and going to System Preferences, then Display.
Most people are visual learners. Even those who do not use visual information as their main learning style will rely on clear visual presentation for a big part of their learning.
Utilizing the wisdom of current educational and brain research our quiz is designed and optimized to maximize the brain's learning processes.
Text entry and correctly spelled words are displayed in extra-large font, while misspelled words are immediately erased.
The quiz font is optimized for visual learning - its letters' upper and lower length is pronounced and supports the formation of Mental Orthographic Images (MOIs).
A quiz design that is simple and uncluttered as possible makes it easy for the brain to commit words to long-term memory.
Under You in the navigation bar, click on Add words.
Here you can add any words you would like to study with priority. Multiple words should be separated by a comma (word1, word2, word3). Words you add to the wordlist will be quizzed with priority.
Important:
You will need to close the current quiz and click on You > Start Quiz in the navigation bar to see the priority words.
Words that you enter correctly right away are considered "known" and will not be quizzed again. Those entered incorrectly will be repeated until you have entered them right over three subsequent quizzes.
Our short slide show gives you an easy introduction into the program and its features.
Of course! Members can review the words they misspelled at any time by clicking on Practice Words under You in the navigation bar (the free Word Cup practice quiz does not offer this functionality).
The nice thing about eSpindle is, though, that you no longer have to manage your learning progress, since our program will do this for you. eSpindle provides targeted, patient, and effective practice until each practice word is successfully learned.
Click on You > Performance. To see detailed information for a specific quiz, select the checkbox to the left and click on Details.
The performance graphic to the right of the quiz will also show your progress.
You get one point for every unique word you studied (repetitions do not count).
Bonus points are earned when you enter the word before listening to the audio (Advanced Word Tutor quiz only).
You can form a team with other friends using eSpindle, but adding them to your team on You > Preferences. Now, whenever you move your mouse over the torch icon, it shows how your eSpindle performance compares to your friends'!
Click on Preferences under You in the navigation bar to display your current quiz grade level. Simply choose a lower or higher level and click Submit .
Important:
Changing the grade level only affects which words eSpindle will choose next. It does not change words currently on your practice word list—these will still come up at the beginning of each quiz until learned.
If some of these practice words are too hard, you can go to You > Practice Words, select them, and click disable.
Disabled practice words can be re-activated once your skill level advances.
Again, click on Preferences under You in the navigation bar.
Select your new goal and click Submit.
Once you start the next quiz, your new settings will automatically take effect, remembering any previously studied words.
Important:
Changing your goal preferences only affects which words eSpindle will choose next. It does not change words currently on your practice word list—these will still come up at the beginning of each quiz until learned.
If some of these practice words are no longer of interest to you, you can go to You > Practice Words, select them, and click disable. Disabled practice words can be re-activated at any time.
Yes, of course! You have unlimited access to all eSpindle features for 10 days, completely free.
Sign up takes only seconds, and we do not ask you for your address or payment information during registration. There also is nothing to download or install, so your free trial with eSpindle is also worry-free and easy.
In addition, if you start earning ePoints, you'll soon be able to continue your eSpindle and other great online subscriptions free of charge!
Please click here to see our membership fees explained.
We offer annual, life-time, and even monthly membership plans.
And there is another way to pay for your eSpindle subscription:
We have developed seven unique ways to earn free eSpindle memberships by raising funds without spending a single penny out-of-pocket! Set up is easy, as is earning ePoints ever after!
In addition, you can use your ePoints for a large selection of fun online subscriptions!
No! You only need a PayPal account to take advantage of the self-renewing membership option - the most cost-effective way to subscribe.
Creating a PayPal account is effortless and built into the sign-up process: Just a few more clicks and you are done! If you sign up via self-renewing PayPal subscription, you can also switch to a monthly payment plan after completing checkout (you then process an annual subscription first and modify the payment terms later on the final screen).
If you don't want to create or use a PayPal account, you can just click on the credit card option on the checkout screen.
Paying by credit card online is secure, and guaranteed by your credit card. You can also print and fax or mail an order form along with a check or money order.
We created a short slide show as an easy introduction into the program and its features. It takes less than five minutes! eSpindle works quite differently from other vocabulary or spelling programs, so viewing the video will help you make best use of it.
You can also always reach us by email or via live chat (top right corner of each page).
Our toll-free number is 866-ESP-INDL (377-4635).
We use a SSL secured process that encrypts your data while in transit, and you are protected during online transactions both by your credit card company and PayPal.
If you prefer, you always have the option to print out this order form and fax or mail it to us.
Our privacy policy protects you 100%. We do not share, rent or sell our member lists, and only collect data that is necessary to provide you with a smooth and fun online experience.
We have also designed our site to align with the Business Bureau's Code of Online Business Practices and the Safe Harbor Principles.
Click here to read our full privacy policy and user agreement.
eSpindle complies with the legal and social compliance standards of the California Department of Education, and is carefully aligned with nationwide and state specific No-Child-Left-Behind (NCLB) standards.
For more information, please click here.
Log in and click on Performance under You. This page gives you the broad learning history. You can review details, including how many words were spelled correctly, incorrectly or skipped in any particular quiz, and the date and time the quiz was completed, by selecting the checkbox next to a specific quiz and clicking Details.
Any words that were misspelled are displayed under You > Practice words. They will remain in practice mode until they have been spelled correctly over three subsequent sessions, at which point they are automatically removed.
Under you in the navigation bar, click on Add words. You can submit priority words by entering each word in a new line or separated by commas (word1, word2, word3).
Either way, you will receive instant confirmation of the successful upload.
Words that you add to the wordlist will be quizzed with priority once the next quiz is started. Priority words that were misspelled will be repeated at the start of each subsequent quiz until you have learned them for life.
Did you know that eSpindle creates custom sessions custom-tailored to a variety of goals? A student who wants to prepare for the Spelling Bee will be quizzed from a different set of words than someone trying to prepare for the SAT.
Personal goals are selected on to the You > Preferences tab.
Do any of these problems with traditional study techniques sound familiar?
*** Most students will already know many of the words on the list, but will still be obliged to spend their time and attention “studying” them.
*** Top students will possibly know all the words already, receiving neither the benefit of an enlarged vocabulary or the mental stimulation that derives from a challenge.
*** Less proficient spellers, including those not fluent in English, or those with a learning disability, may lag behind their peers and be in need of more tutoring - a need that, due to issues of school time and financial resources, might go unmet.
*** Students will typically study their word lists on the morning of a test, so their test scores will reflect only the power of their short-term memories instead of actual learning and retention.
Administer a “surprise test” a few days or weeks later, and the scores will probably show that many of the words’ spellings and meanings have indeed faded from students’ memories.
*** Spelling word lists require on average 2,5 hours of class room time, in addition to time spent studying at home. This is time that is not available for other learning tasks.
*** In sum, a minimal level of new learning is the return on the investment of considerable time, money, and other resources on the part of students and teachers (including parents).
These are the benefits of the new patent-pending eSpindle technology:
(+) Every learning session is custom designed for each individual student, using their unique learning profile.
(+) With its 100,000-word database, eSpindle offers real variety - and real learning - to students on each quiz.
(+) Words that students have mastered will not be repeated on subsequent tests.
(+) eSpindle focuses on those words that still need to work on. In other words, eSpindle replaces the typical study-test approach with a more dynamic test-study approach.
(+) Words that students misspell will be repeated in subsequent tests over carefully planned intervals, until the student has correctly entered them three times in a row over a set of quizzes.
(+) This staggered approach accommodates students of varying learning speeds and is a far more reliable measure of long-term retention. We further see that as the student's verbal confidence improves, less and less repetitions are needed to successfully learn the word.
(+) Appropriate for multiple learning styles: Students can listen to the related audio files (i.e., word pronunciation, samples sentences) as much as they need to in order to fully absorb a word’s pronunciation and meaning.
(+) eSpindle will never grow impatient or make the student feel bad!
(+) Advanced-level students can proceed to a quiz level that is appropriate for them, and that addresses their particular goals - maybe winning the Spelling Bee or mastering the English language’s most commonly misspelled words.
(+) No cramming for tests, and no final exam: Since eSpindle adapts to and keeps track of the individual’s progress, learning is a continuous and ever-intriguing experience. eSpindle removes unnecessary pressure and the need for a final exam - the emphasis is on learning for life.
(+) At any time, parents and teachers can log onto the eSpindle site to review a student’s progress, see which words have been mastered and which need more work, etc.
(+) eSpindle is not only a tool for the English teacher! Words important to other subject areas can be uploaded as well, and will then be reliably tutored.
(+) A brief La Linea movie rewards students who complete their quiz goal. The movie is updated daily.
(+) A brief practice sequence reinforces words that were entered incorrectly two times in a row. Practice is provided right as the problem is identified and the brain is receptive to input.
(+) Students progress through 21 levels of expertise. These measure effort, not existiing skill level, and personalized diplomas can be printed out as the next level is reached.
Start a free 30-day school trial now.
A test-study approach is superior to a study-test approach, because it allows students to focus their time on fulfilling their individual needs (please read our White Paper Research Based Tutoring of English Spelling for more info). While eSpindle quizzes may initially feel like a test, there are no negative consequences attached to making a mistake—it is simply the first step to preventing it in the future.
Research has shown that it is more effective to first determine which words a student already knows, and then focus the tutoring effort on the words that a student does not yet know confidently. Such an approach, while desirable, is hard to implement in any traditional study environment, because it requires sophisticated organization and management of words.
eSpindle was designed to assist learners by creating custom learning quizzes based on the individual learning profile. This way, learning becomes more efficient and interesting, providing long-term retention.
No. If you do, each student's learning profile would be distorted by the other user, removing the benefits for both users!
eSpindle remembers the goals, skill level and learning history of each member, and creates custom learning quizzes based on this information. If more than one student uses the same log-in, this will result in random and no longer custom tailored seesions.
We love to partner with other websites, non-profits, and educational institutions, which can become affiliate partners or work with us in a variety of ways.
Affiliates can earn commissions or free scholarships for referrals. We also offer a great fundraising program to schools, and have many custom solutions for you.
If you have a blog or website and would like to link with us via affiliate link please click here to sign up.
Yes. Site licenses allow educational institutions to purchase memberships for groups of 10 students or more.
This lets teachers upload spelling word lists to an entire group with one click, and provides easy access to student reports.
Did you know that spelling word lists require about 2,5 hours per week of classroom time? This does not include time parents and students invest into learning the old-fashioned way.
eSpindle replaces spelling word lists with easy, fun, efficient and effective learning management.
Please sign up for a free 30-day trial if you would like to learn more about site licenses, or register for one of our live Show & Tell sessions.
Parents, tutors and teachers feel relieved once they realize how easy and efficient the task of studying vocabulary and spelling has become with eSpindle!
All that is left to do is sign on every once in a while to ensure that students take quizzes regularly.
Complete data about each quiz session is easily accessible through the Performance tab, located under You in the navigation bar after log in. However, the biggest benefit of eSpindle is that the parent or teacher no longer has to manage the details of the student's learning progress, since eSpindle is doing that with lots of attention and detail.
No. eSpindle is a wonderful tool for students who may be under-challenged in a traditional setting and aspire to higher goals, like winning the Spelling Bee.
However, with its intelligent quiz engine eSpindle is a suitable learning tool for a large variety of students:
(+) Students that are lagging behind in the classroom and need extra tutoring and assistance are able to catch up in easy, efficient steps!
(+) Students with learning disabilities (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD) find a patient and effective tutor in eSpindle. eSpindle will remember the words they need to practice and will never tire of providing the assistance needed.
(+) Students of English as a foreign language (EFL/ESL) will further benefit from the combined tutoring on pronunciation, meaning, usage and spelling.
(+) Students preparing for the SAT or college life can focus on academic vocabulary.
(+) eSpindle offers a custom module focusing on words that are commonly misspelled to help the average speller gain 100% confidence with these "word traps."
(+) Some of our members enjoy eSpindle as a fun and easy tool to train the mind and keep mentally fit and alert.
Yes. If you are a nonprofit organization or school helping disadvantaged students and don't have the funding for a site license, please apply for a grant!
Please also learn how you can support or 1,000,000 scholarships pledge!
eSpindle is an extremely easy fund raising tool, allowing your school to earn substantial, automatic, and ongoing revenue! Click here to learn more and to get started.
Sign up for a 30-day free trial for your school and enter "fundraising" into the comments field. Your account manager will contact you and help you get started in a few easy steps.
If you have other ideas, please know that eSpindle was designed with partnership in mind. We're always interested in talking with you!
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