diff --git a/classes/external.php b/classes/external.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4e77af6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/classes/external.php
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * External.
+ *
+ * @package mod_poodlltime
+ * @author  Justin Hunt - poodll.com
+ */
+
+
+use filter_poodll\poodlltools;
+use filter_poodll\constants;
+use filter_poodll\diff;
+
+/**
+ * External class.
+ *
+ * @package mod_poodlltime
+ * @author  Justin Hunt - poodll.com
+ */
+class filter_poodll_external extends external_api {
+
+    public static function check_by_phonetic_parameters(){
+        return new external_function_parameters(
+                 array('spoken' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The spoken phrase'),
+                       'correct' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The correct phrase'),
+                       'language' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The language eg en-US')
+                 )
+        );
+    }
+
+    public static function check_by_phonetic($spoken, $correct, $language){
+        $language = substr($language,0,2);
+        $spokenphonetic = poodlltools::convert_to_phonetic($spoken,$language);
+        $correctphonetic = poodlltools::convert_to_phonetic($correct,$language);
+        $similar_percent = 0;
+        $similar_chars = similar_text($correctphonetic,$spokenphonetic,$similar_percent);
+        return round($similar_percent,0);
+    }
+
+    public static function check_by_phonetic_returns(){
+        return new external_value(PARAM_INT,'how close is spoken to correct, 0 - 100');
+    }
+
+    public static function compare_passage_to_transcript_parameters(){
+        return new external_function_parameters(
+                array('transcript' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The spoken phrase'),
+                        'passage' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The correct phrase'),
+                        'language' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'The language eg en-US'),
+                        'alternatives' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'list of alternatives',false,'')
+                )
+        );
+    }
+
+    public static function compare_passage_to_transcript($language,$passage,$transcript, $alternatives) {
+
+        //turn the passage and transcript into an array of words
+        $passagebits = diff::fetchWordArray($passage);
+        $alternatives = diff::fetchAlternativesArray($alternatives);
+        $transcriptbits = diff::fetchWordArray($transcript);
+        $wildcards = diff::fetchWildcardsArray($alternatives);
+
+        //fetch sequences of transcript/passage matched words
+        // then prepare an array of "differences"
+        $passagecount = count($passagebits);
+        $transcriptcount = count($transcriptbits);
+        $sequences = diff::fetchSequences($passagebits, $transcriptbits, $alternatives, $language);
+        //fetch diffs
+        $debug=false;
+        $diffs = diff::fetchDiffs($sequences, $passagecount, $transcriptcount, $debug);
+        $diffs = diff::applyWildcards($diffs, $passagebits, $wildcards);
+
+
+        //from the array of differences build error data, match data, markers, scores and metrics
+        $errors = new \stdClass();
+        $currentword = 0;
+
+        //loop through diffs
+        $results=[];
+        foreach ($diffs as $diff) {
+            $currentword++;
+            $result = new \stdClass();
+            $result->word = $passagebits[$currentword - 1];
+            $result->wordnumber = $currentword;
+            switch ($diff[0]) {
+                case Diff::UNMATCHED:
+                    //we collect error info so we can count and display them on passage
+
+                    $result->matched =false;
+                    break;
+
+                case Diff::MATCHED:
+                    $result->matched =true;
+                    break;
+
+                default:
+                    //do nothing
+                    //should never get here
+            }
+            $results[]=$result;
+        }
+
+        //finalise and serialise session errors
+        $sessionresults = json_encode($results);
+
+        return $sessionresults;
+    }
+
+    public static function compare_passage_to_transcript_returns() {
+        return new external_value(PARAM_RAW);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/classes/poodlltools.php b/classes/poodlltools.php
index 5dfc73d4..12a8ddaa 100644
--- a/classes/poodlltools.php
+++ b/classes/poodlltools.php
@@ -585,6 +585,20 @@ public static function fetchJSWidgetJSON($widget, $params, $width, $height, $bgc
 
     }
 
+    //convert a phrase or word to a series of phonetic characters that we can use to compare text/spoken
+    public static function convert_to_phonetic($phrase,$language){
+
+        switch($language){
+            case 'en':
+                $phonetic = metaphone($phrase);
+                break;
+            case 'ja':
+            default:
+                $phonetic = $phrase;
+        }
+        return $phonetic;
+    }
+
 
     //We check if the OS version is too old here,
     //Android 4+ iOS6+
diff --git a/db/access.php b/db/access.php
index a84c6037..f718c19c 100644
--- a/db/access.php
+++ b/db/access.php
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@
                         'editingteacher' => CAP_ALLOW,
                         'manager' => CAP_ALLOW
                 )
-        )
+        ),
+        'filter/poodll:comparetext' => array(
+                'captype' => 'read',
+                'contextlevel' => CONTEXT_MODULE,
+                'archetypes' => array(
+                        'user' => CAP_ALLOW,
+                        'guest' => CAP_ALLOW
+                ),
+                'clonepermissionsfrom' => 'mod/label:view'
+        ),
 );
 
diff --git a/db/services.php b/db/services.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..41d963f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/services.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Services definition.
+ *
+ * @package mod_poodlltime
+ * @author  Justin Hunt - poodll.com
+ */
+
+$functions = array(
+
+
+        'filter_poodll_check_by_phonetic' => array(
+                'classname'   => 'filter_poodll_external',
+                'methodname'  => 'check_by_phonetic',
+                'description' => 'compares a spoken phrase to a correct phrase by phoneme' ,
+                'capabilities'=> 'filter/poodll:comparetext',
+                'type'        => 'read',
+                'ajax'        => true,
+        ),
+
+        'filter_poodll_compare_passage_to_transcript' => array(
+        'classname'   => 'filter_poodll_external',
+        'methodname'  => 'compare_passage_to_transcript',
+        'description' => 'compares a spoken phrase to a correct phrase' ,
+        'capabilities'=> 'filter/poodll:comparetext',
+        'type'        => 'read',
+        'ajax'        => true,
+        )
+);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/version.php b/version.php
index cf5a63df..a67ead93 100644
--- a/version.php
+++ b/version.php
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@
 
 defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
 
-$plugin->version = 2020062400;
+$plugin->version = 2020071000;
 $plugin->requires = 2016052300;//moodle 3.1.0
 $plugin->component = 'filter_poodll';
 $plugin->maturity = MATURITY_STABLE;
-$plugin->release = '3.1.35 (Build 2020062400)';
+$plugin->release = '3.1.36 (Build 2020071000)';