cloze test: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Academic, Professional (Language Teaching/Testing), Educational
Quick answer
What does “cloze test” mean?
A language assessment tool where words are systematically removed from a text and the learner must fill in the blanks.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A language assessment tool where words are systematically removed from a text and the learner must fill in the blanks.
An exercise or testing technique used to measure reading comprehension, language proficiency, or textual understanding by requiring the restoration of omitted words.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or usage differences. The concept and term are identical in both varieties.
Connotations
Primarily associated with language education and psychometric testing in both regions.
Frequency
Slightly more common in British pedagogical literature, but standard in academic contexts globally.
Grammar
How to Use “cloze test” in a Sentence
The teacher gave the students a cloze test on the article.We used a cloze test to assess their comprehension.A cloze test typically involves the deletion of every seventh word.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cloze test” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The researcher decided to cloze the text using a fixed-ratio deletion method.
American English
- We need to cloze this passage to create a placement test.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- The cloze-test format proved highly reliable for the study.
American English
- She analysed the cloze test data from three different cohorts.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare; potentially used in corporate language training contexts.
Academic
Common in linguistics, applied linguistics, and language teaching research and practice.
Everyday
Very rare; almost exclusively used by teachers, students, or language learners.
Technical
Standard term in language testing and assessment methodology.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cloze test”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cloze test”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cloze test”
- Pronouncing it as /kloʊz/ to rhyme with 'nose' instead of the correct /kləʊz/ or /kloʊz/ rhyming with 'glows'.
- Spelling as 'close test'.
- Using it to refer to any gap-fill, rather than one with systematic deletion (e.g., every nth word).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. While all cloze tests are gap-fills, the term 'cloze test' specifically refers to tests created by the systematic deletion of words (e.g., every 5th, 7th, or 10th word). General gap-fills may have selectively chosen deletions.
The cloze procedure was developed in the 1950s by Wilson L. Taylor, who coined the term from the Gestalt psychology concept of 'closure'.
It primarily measures reading comprehension, grammatical knowledge, and the ability to use syntactic and semantic context to predict missing information. It is considered a measure of overall language proficiency.
There are two common methods: 1) Exact word scoring (only the original word is accepted). 2) Acceptable word scoring (any grammatically correct and contextually appropriate word is accepted). The latter is generally considered more valid.
A language assessment tool where words are systematically removed from a text and the learner must fill in the blanks.
Cloze test is usually academic, professional (language teaching/testing), educational in register.
Cloze test: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkləʊz ˌtest/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkloʊz ˌtest/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “N/A”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CLOSE-up view of a TEST where some words are CLOSED off and need to be opened (filled in). Cloze = Close.
Conceptual Metaphor
TEXT IS A COMPLETE STRUCTURE (gaps disrupt the structure, completion restores wholeness).
Practice
Quiz
What is the defining characteristic of a classic cloze test?