# Fill in the blank questions

> Write a sentence with gaps, put the answers in double square brackets, and give partial credit for each blank. Great for grammar and vocabulary.

URL: https://learnworkly.com/help/question-types/fill-in-the-blank · Updated 2026-11-11

A **Fill in the blank** question is a sentence or short text with gaps. Students type a word in each gap, and LearnWorkly marks every gap separately, so a student who gets two out of three right gets partial credit.

It suits grammar (verb forms, prepositions, articles), vocabulary in context, and cloze texts. In maths and science, use it for key words in a definition.

## Add a fill in the blank question

1. **Choose the type** In the editor, click **Add question** and choose **Fill in the blank**.
2. **Add instructions (optional)** Type them in **Instructions (optional)**, for example "Complete the sentence with the correct words."
3. **Write the sentence with blanks** In **Sentence with blanks**, put each answer in double square brackets: "She [[has]] lived here [[for]] five years." To accept several answers for one blank, separate them with |, for example [[has|’s]].
4. **Check the preview** Under **Students will see**, the sentence appears with each blank highlighted. The note under the box tells you how many blanks the points are split across.
5. **Set case sensitivity and points** Turn on **Case-sensitive** if capital letters matter. Type the points in the **points** box (default 1).

*[Screenshot: The fill in the blank editor with the sentence "She [[has]] lived here [[for]] five years." and a preview under Students will see with the two blanks highlighted]*

## What students see

Students see the sentence with a small text box in place of each blank. The boxes grow as they type, so longer answers still fit. The answers are never sent to the student’s device, only the gaps.

*[Screenshot: A student’s phone showing "She ___ lived here ___ five years." with two empty answer boxes inside the sentence]*

## How it is marked

Each blank is checked against its answers. As with **Short answer**, extra spaces are ignored and capital letters only count when **Case-sensitive** is on. The points are split evenly across the blanks: in a 1-point question with 2 blanks, each right blank is worth 0.5.

In the live view you see the student’s words in place in the sentence, and you can change the score if you want to accept another answer.

## Accept contractions and alternatives

> **Accept contractions and alternatives:** Students often write a correct form you did not list. Write [[has|’s]], [[do not|don’t]] or [[colour|color]] so both spellings count. Keep one blank per grammar point so the score shows exactly which point a student has not got yet.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can students choose from a list instead of typing?**
No, students type each answer. For a choice of words, use **Multiple choice** or **Matching**.

**What if I forget the square brackets?**
Without any [[ ]] there are no blanks, so the question is not marked automatically. Check the **Students will see** preview before you save.

**Can I use one question for a whole paragraph?**
Yes. The sentence can be up to 5,000 characters, and the points are split across all its blanks.