A strong vocabulary and sharp reading accuracy are crucial for achieving a high score in language proficiency tests like Duolingo. This exam evaluates candidates on four key skills: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking in English. It includes a variety of tasks designed to assess these skills, each presenting its own challenges if you’re not well-prepared. Among these tasks, the Duolingo Read & Select can be particularly tricky.
But don’t worry! Here is a guide to excelling in Duolingo Read & Select Task with sample questions and answers.
What Is Duolingo Read & Select Task:
In this task, you will see a word on the screen with a question “Is this a real English word”. You have to select “Yes” or “No” option.
Tips To Score High In Duolingo Read & Select
✅ Enhance Your Vocabulary
Knowing lots of words is the trick to doing well in the Duolingo Read and Select task. The more words you know, the more are the chances that you will spot the real word. 📚
🏆 How to Increase Vocabulary:
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📖 Read as much as you can: Pick books, newspapers, and online articles to come across a range of words.
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📱 Use Vocabulary Apps: Try apps like Quizlet, Anki, and Memrise to grow and strengthen your word bank.
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🌳 Learn Word Families: Look into word roots, prefixes, and suffixes to spot patterns. For instance, knowing that “-tion” and “un-” show up often in real English words can help you catch fake ones.
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🎯 Set a Daily Goal: Pick up at least 5 to 10 new words every day.
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🔍 Use Context Clues: When you run into new words, try to figure out what they mean from the words around them before you look them up.
✍️ Know Common English Spelling Patterns
Many English words often have a recognizable spelling pattern. Get familiar with these patterns to easily identify the real words. 🧠
🪄 Examples of Common Patterns:
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Prefix Examples: “un-“, “dis-“, “re-“, “pre-“
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Suffix Examples: “-ing”, “-ed”, “-ly”, “-tion”, “-ment”
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Double Letters: English words have double letters like “ss”, “ll”, and “tt” (e.g., address, battle).
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Consonant-Vowel-Consonant Pattern: Many real words follow this structure (e.g., “cat”, “dog”, “ship”).
🤔 Don’t Overthink
Since the time limit is short ⏳, do not overthink.
🔎 How to Keep Your Focus:
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💡 Go with your instinct when you see a word that seems familiar or you know.
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🚫 If a word looks weird or doesn’t fit, it’s likely not real.
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⏩ Don’t spend too long on one word. Move to the next.
🚨 Recognize Wrong Words by Looking for Common Patterns
Wrong words are often created to confuse you by copying real word patterns. Hence, know what to look for and avoid confusion. 🚫
🚩 Signs That Often Point to Wrong Words:
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❌ Weird Letter Combos: Words like “kqzt” or “blort” aren’t real.
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❌ Strange Endings: Made-up words might end with odd combinations like “-ffz” or “-rty.”
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❌ Vowels in the Wrong Places: English words have a certain pattern for placing vowels.
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❌ No Vowels: If a word seems to be missing vowels or has them in a weird order, it’s fake.
🧠 Use Smart Guessing Tricks
When you’re not sure about a word, take an educated guess instead of selecting randomly.
🎯 Tips for Smart Guessing:
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✅ Words with familiar prefixes or suffixes have a higher chance of being real.
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✅ Words that follow common English patterns are likely to be genuine.
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🚫 When in doubt about an unfamiliar word, it’s better to skip it to avoid losing points.
🏷️ Sort Words Based on How Well You Know Them
Instead of going through the list randomly, try to group the words mentally:
📝 Step 1: Pick out words you know for sure are real.
🤔 Step 2: Flag words that seem like they could be real, but you’re not certain.
❌ Step 3: Stay away from words that look wrong or you don’t recognize at all.
⏱️ Manage Time Wisely
You’ve got 60 seconds for this task, so managing your time well is key.
⏳ How to Use Your Time:
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⏲️ 30 seconds: Pick words you know for sure.
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🧐 20–30 seconds: Think hard about unknown words.
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🚫 If you’re running out of time, don’t rush to guess—it’s better to be correct than to finish everything.
🧠 Use Memory Tricks to Help You Recognize Words
Memory tricks help you remember what words mean and how to spell them.
🎯 Examples:
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“ARITHMETIC” → A Rat In The House Might Eat The Ice Cream
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“Necessary” → Never Eat Cake, Eat Salad Sandwiches And Raspberry Yogurt
🚮 Use the Process of Elimination
When you’re unsure about a word, rule out unlikely choices before selecting.
🏆 How to Put This into Action:
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❌ Get rid of words with weird spelling patterns or unlikely letter combos.
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❌ If a word seems strange and doesn’t have common prefixes or suffixes, it’s fake.
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✅ Once you’ve cut out the fakes, focus on checking the remaining choices.
🎮 Use Word Games to Sharpen Your Mind
Word games can make the process of boosting your pattern-spotting skills and expanding your word knowledge enjoyable.
🏆 Games to Try:
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🏆 Scrabble – Helps you spot valid word structures.
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🏆 Boggle – Sharpens your quick word recognition.
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🏆 Crosswords – Grows your vocabulary and spelling abilities.
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🏆 Wordle – Teaches you to find letter patterns.
🚫 Don’t Guess When You Are Not Sure
Unlike other parts, Read and Select takes points off for wrong answers. So, guessing is risky.
❗ What You Should Do:
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🚫 If you do not know a word, it’s best not to pick it.
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✅ Try to get as many correct answers as possible instead of taking chances.
📝 Duolingo Read & Select Sample Question with Answer
Excelling in all question types is crucial for achieving a high score in the DET exam. Gurully’s DET practice platform replicates the real exam environment, helping you prepare more effectively. With AI-driven instant scoring and detailed feedback, you’ll gain valuable insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. Boost your confidence and improve your performance by practicing more on Gurully’s comprehensive mock tests.
Conclusion:
Mastering the Duolingo Read & Select task requires a strong vocabulary, pattern recognition, and thoughtful decision-making. Expanding your word bank through regular reading and using vocabulary apps can significantly improve your accuracy. Understanding common spelling patterns and using process-of-elimination techniques will help you quickly identify genuine and fake words. You can score high by practicing more on the Mock Test.
Also Read:
- Duolingo Read and Complete Question Tips and Tricks To Score High
- Top Duolingo Accepted Universities in USA, UK, and Canada for 2025
- Duolingo Speaking Topics: Frequently Asked Questions & Sample Answers
Useful Pages for DET Test Takers