• 100 words
  • Checked October 2026

Music Spelling Words

Instruments, tempo words and concert words in ten lists: press Start test and type what you hear.

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List 1: string instruments

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.violinShe tucked the violin under her chin.
  2. 2.celloThe cello rests on a metal spike.
  3. 3.guitarHe tuned the guitar by ear.
  4. 4.harpThe harp stood taller than the player.
  5. 5.banjoHe picked a fast tune on the banjo.
  6. 6.dulcimerShe played the dulcimer on her lap.
  7. 7.balalaikaThe balalaika has a triangle-shaped body.
  8. 8.luteThe painting shows a man playing a lute.
  9. 9.sitarA sitar buzzed softly in the film's music.
  10. 10.fiddleThe fiddle led the square dance.

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List 1: string instruments 10

  • balalaika The balalaika has a triangle-shaped body.
  • banjo He picked a fast tune on the banjo.
  • cello The cello rests on a metal spike.
  • dulcimer She played the dulcimer on her lap.
  • fiddle The fiddle led the square dance.
  • guitar He tuned the guitar by ear.
  • harp The harp stood taller than the player.
  • lute The painting shows a man playing a lute.
  • sitar A sitar buzzed softly in the film's music.
  • violin She tucked the violin under her chin.

List 2: wind instruments 10

  • bagpipes We heard bagpipes at the parade.
  • cornet The cornet looks like a short trumpet.
  • euphonium The euphonium sounds warm and mellow.
  • fife A fife and a drum led the march.
  • flute Hold the flute out to your right side.
  • horn The horn section stood for the solo.
  • ocarina The clay ocarina fits in one hand.
  • panpipe The panpipe has tubes of different lengths.
  • trumpet The trumpet has three valves.
  • tuba The tuba plays the lowest brass notes.

List 3: keyboards and percussion 10

  • bongo He tapped the bongo with his fingers.
  • chimes The chimes rang three times.
  • conga A conga solo drew whistles from the crowd.
  • cowbell The cowbell kept time for the band.
  • cymbal The cymbal crashed at the end.
  • drum The bass drum boomed from the back row.
  • keyboard Plug headphones into the keyboard.
  • mallet Strike the bar with a soft mallet.
  • piano The piano bench holds old sheet music.
  • synthesizer The synthesizer can copy a flute sound.

List 4: the players 10

  • accompanist The accompanist followed the singer closely.
  • drummer The drummer counted us in.
  • flutist The flutist took a quick breath.
  • harpist The harpist plucked a rippling scale.
  • keyboardist The keyboardist switched to an organ sound.
  • organist The organist played with both feet.
  • pianist The pianist turned her own pages.
  • trumpeter A trumpeter opened the ceremony.
  • violinist The violinist rosined his bow.
  • vocalist The vocalist stepped up to the microphone.

List 5: tempo words 10

  • adagio Adagio means the music moves slowly.
  • allegro Allegro tells you to play fast.
  • andante The second piece is marked andante.
  • largo Play the opening largo, very slowly.
  • lento Lento asks for a slow pace.
  • metronome Set the metronome to sixty beats a minute.
  • moderato Moderato sits between slow and fast.
  • presto The finale races along at presto.
  • tempo The conductor set a quick tempo.
  • vivace The dance is marked vivace.

List 6: dynamics and articulation words 10

  • accent Put an accent on the first beat.
  • crescendo The violins swell in a slow crescendo.
  • decrescendo A decrescendo gets softer bit by bit.
  • diminuendo The song fades with a diminuendo.
  • dynamics We penciled the dynamics above each line.
  • forte Forte means play loudly.
  • legato Legato notes flow smoothly together.
  • loudness Turn down the loudness of the speaker.
  • mezzo The singer marked the phrase mezzo piano.
  • staccato She tapped out staccato notes on the keys.

List 7: at the concert 10

  • applause Loud applause followed the last song.
  • audition My audition for band is at four.
  • curtain The curtain rose on the first note.
  • intermission We bought snacks at intermission.
  • ovation The crowd gave a standing ovation.
  • rehearsal Dress rehearsal starts at six.
  • spotlight A spotlight followed the soloist.
  • stage The band set up on the stage.
  • ticket My ticket is for the second row.
  • usher An usher showed us to our seats.

List 8: kinds of music 10

  • bluegrass A bluegrass tune set our feet tapping.
  • classical The station plays classical music at night.
  • medley The band played a medley of old favorites.
  • operetta Our school staged a short operetta.
  • polka The accordion played a polka.
  • prelude The organist played a short prelude.
  • rhapsody The pianist chose a rhapsody for the finale.
  • samba Dancers practiced a samba for the show.
  • serenade The strings played a gentle serenade.
  • tango A slow tango opened the second half.

List 9: rhythm words 10

  • backbeat The snare drum marks the backbeat.
  • cadence The piece ends with a strong cadence.
  • drumbeat A steady drumbeat led the parade.
  • drumroll A drumroll came before the announcement.
  • melodic The cello has a warm, melodic line.
  • offbeat The guitar chops on every offbeat.
  • syncopated The song has a syncopated rhythm.
  • trill The flute held a long trill.
  • triplet Count the triplet as one-and-a.
  • upbeat The conductor's hand rises on the upbeat.

List 10: making music 10

  • arrange He will arrange the song for strings.
  • compose He hopes to compose a march for the band.
  • improvise Jazz players often improvise a solo.
  • perform We perform for the parents on Friday.
  • pluck Pluck one string at a time.
  • practice I practice the piano before dinner.
  • recording We listened to a recording of the concert.
  • songwriter The songwriter keeps a notebook of rhymes.
  • strum Strum the strings with your thumb.
  • tuning Tuning the guitar takes a minute.

How it works

One hundred music words in ten lists of ten: three of instruments, one of players, the Italian tempo and dynamics words printed on sheet music, and words for a concert, for kinds of music, for rhythm and for making music.

Read the full guide

Instruments spelling words, then the players

Lists 1 to 3 name the instruments: strings (violin, balalaika), winds (ocarina, euphonium) and keyboards and percussion (synthesizer, cymbal). List 4 names who plays them: pianist, flutist, accompanist.

The Italian words on the page

List 5 is tempo, from largo and adagio (slow) through andante and moderato to allegro, vivace and presto (quick, lively, very fast). List 6 is dynamics and articulation: forte, crescendo, diminuendo, legato, staccato. Lists 7 to 10 are concert words (ovation, intermission), kinds of music (samba, operetta), rhythm (backbeat, cadence) and making music (strum, improvise).

  • Cymbal, the brass plate, sounds like symbol; the sentence tells you which to type.
  • Musical spelling words from Italian end in a vowel: tempo, forte, legato, staccato.

Questions and answers

Which instruments are on the list?

Ten strings from violin to fiddle, ten winds from flute to bagpipes, and piano, keyboard, synthesizer, bongo, conga, cowbell, drum, cymbal and chimes, with the mallet that strikes them.

How do you spell crescendo and its opposite?

Crescendo has sc before the e. Its opposites are decrescendo, the same word with de in front, and diminuendo, which has no double letter. All three are in List 6.

What do the tempo words mean?

From slow to fast: largo, lento and adagio are slow, andante is moderately slow, moderato is medium, allegro is quick, vivace is lively and presto is very fast. A metronome clicks the beat.

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