Duolingo English Test Fill in the Blank: Finding the Word from 2 or 3 Letters
Duolingo English Test Fill in the Blank gives you one sentence with one incomplete word, and you type the rest of it. There are no choices, so you can't guess. It looks like a vocabulary test, but it's closer to a test of narrowing down candidates with grammar and context. Here is the routine, step by step, with real practice screens.
At a glance
- Question: one sentence with one blank (an incomplete word). There are no multi-word answers.
- Input: the first few letters are given and you type the rest. The number of empty boxes is the number of letters left.
- Our practice sets: 6 sentences per set. Hint letters: 3 for easy and medium, 2 for upper and hard. Time per question: 45 seconds for easy, 60 for medium and upper, 75 for hard.
- Difficulty: higher levels don't make the answer word much longer. What gets harder is that the sentences get longer and more complex.
(Source: testpracticelab's DET question specification and free practice sets. Screens are from sets 010 and 014.)
The screens below are captured from testpracticelab's free practice sets. In the worked examples under each tip, a wavy underline marks the clue and a strikethrough marks an answer to avoid.
First: what to read off the screen
- The sentence contains a box with the first letters shown, followed by empty boxes.
- The number of empty boxes is the number of letters left, so you already know the answer's total length.
- The timer for the current question sits at the top.
The number of empty boxes is the length of the word
With 2 or 3 letters shown and 3 empty boxes after them, the answer is a 5 or 6 letter word. Think of a candidate, then count its letters against the boxes. That's the first filter.
ad___
2 hint letters + 3 empty boxes = a 5-letter word.
Don't stop at the blank; read to the end of the sentence
Answer from only the word before the blank and you miss the clues after it. Read the sentence once through, then come back to the blank. Half the clues are after it.
Step 1: decide the part of speech
- If you go from the hint letters straight to words, there are too many candidates. Use the words around the blank to fix the part of speech first.
The word before the blank decides the part of speech
After to comes a verb, after a or the comes a noun or an adjective, and after an adjective like significant comes a noun. Fix the part of speech before you look at the hint letters and the range of words to think of shrinks a lot.
Companies that fail to ad___ quickly
After to: verb
A sc___ business model
Between a and a noun: adjective
income dis___ within the company
After income, before a preposition: noun
Same hint letters, different answers: grammar decides
A word starting with exp could be expand or expansion. The hint is the same, but after to it's the verb (expand), and between new and strategy it's the noun (expansion). The hint is only the beginning; grammar decides the end.
a plan to exp___ the network
After to: the verb expand
a new exp___ strategy
Between new and strategy: the noun expansion
Articles and adjectives even tell you singular or plural
A noun after significant with no a in front is plural or uncountable. In generate significant efficiencies, the word has to end in the plural -ies. Fix the ending (-ity, -able, -ies) from the grammar first, then fill in the remaining letters.
generate significant effic___ by eliminating redundant departments
After significant with no a: a plural noun, efficiencies.
Step 2: context tells you the word
- As on this screen, sentences in hard sets can run past 30 words.
- The longer the sentence, the more likely the answer hides in a comma-separated explanation or a parallel structure.
Read in chunks of words that go together
Some combinations are common: strict zoning regulations, a clear path to profitability. Don't look at the blank alone. Read the three words on either side as one chunk and pick the candidate that connects naturally.
strict zoning reg___
zoning regulations is a common chunk.
not only innovation but also a clear path to prof___
A noun follows path to, parallel with innovation before it.
The explanation after a comma is the answer's definition
In long sentences, the meaning of the blank is often spelled out afterward. In merely a pastiche of earlier movements, recycling their visual language, everything from recycling on explains what pastiche means. If the first letters and this explanation fit, that's your word, even if you don't know it.
...is merely a pa___ of earlier movements, recycling their visual language
Everything from recycling on explains what pastiche means.
In a long sentence, keep only the clause with the blank
With a sentence over 30 words, don't try to read all of it. Keep the clause that holds the blank and fold the rest away. With the skeleton an act of ___ justice, the first thing you see is that it's an adjective slot. The contrasting clause after though usually has nothing to do with the answer.
Step 3: typing and time
- Even when you know the word, a spelling mistake is a wrong answer. Use your last 30 seconds to check spelling.
Check the spelling once more at the end
Even words you know have spellings people get wrong. After entering the answer, scan it letter by letter. Also check that your keyboard is on English. Our practice widget converts Korean jamo back to English letters, but on the real test it's safer not to count on that kind of correction.
adpat
Letter-order slip: adpat
adapt
adapt
Don't leave it blank, and build a rhythm within the time
Even for a word you don't know, enter your best form that fits the part of speech and hint letters. Leave it empty and it's certainly wrong. Our practice sets give 45 to 75 seconds per question, so practice splitting it: about 15 seconds reading, then part of speech and candidates, then typing and a spelling check.
Wrapping up
Fill in the Blank tests less whether you know the word and more whether you can read what the sentence demands in that spot. Use the hint letters and letter count, the part of speech, and the surrounding context in that order, and even an unfamiliar word narrows down to a few candidates.
Start practicing like it's the real thing. testpracticelab has free Fill in the Blank practice sets by level. Try set 010, the one whose screens are used in this article, with a timer, then apply the tips one at a time.