diff --git a/services/spelling/.eslintrc b/services/spelling/.eslintrc
index dd8590b563..984a32e882 100644
--- a/services/spelling/.eslintrc
+++ b/services/spelling/.eslintrc
@@ -14,7 +14,12 @@
     "chai-friendly"
   ],
   "env": {
-    "node": true
+    "node": true,
+    "mocha": true
+  },
+  "globals": {
+    "expect": true,
+    "define": true
   },
   "rules": {
     // Add some mocha specific rules
diff --git a/services/spelling/app.js b/services/spelling/app.js
index c9daa45d7e..30024dc230 100644
--- a/services/spelling/app.js
+++ b/services/spelling/app.js
@@ -34,25 +34,21 @@ server.get('/status', (req, res) => res.send({ status: 'spelling api is up' }))
 
 server.get('/health_check', HealthCheckController.healthCheck)
 
-const host =
-  __guard__(
-    Settings.internal != null ? Settings.internal.spelling : undefined,
-    x => x.host
-  ) || 'localhost'
-const port =
-  __guard__(
-    Settings.internal != null ? Settings.internal.spelling : undefined,
-    x1 => x1.port
-  ) || 3005
-server.listen(port, host, function(error) {
-  if (error != null) {
-    throw error
-  }
-  return logger.info(`spelling starting up, listening on ${host}:${port}`)
-})
-
-function __guard__(value, transform) {
-  return typeof value !== 'undefined' && value !== null
-    ? transform(value)
+const settings =
+  Settings.internal && Settings.internal.spelling
+    ? Settings.internal.spelling
     : undefined
+const host = settings && settings.host ? settings.host : 'localhost'
+const port = settings && settings.port ? settings.port : 3005
+
+if (!module.parent) {
+  // application entry point, called directly
+  server.listen(port, host, function(error) {
+    if (error != null) {
+      throw error
+    }
+    return logger.info(`spelling starting up, listening on ${host}:${port}`)
+  })
 }
+
+module.exports = server
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/CheckTest.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/CheckTest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..981d64b563
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/CheckTest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+const { expect } = require('chai')
+const request = require('./helpers/request')
+
+const USER_ID = 101
+
+const checkWord = words =>
+  request.post({
+    url: `/user/${USER_ID}/check`,
+    body: JSON.stringify({
+      words
+    })
+  })
+
+describe('checking words', () => {
+  let response
+
+  describe('on successful response', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      response = await checkWord(['anather'])
+    })
+
+    it('should return status 200', async () => {
+      expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(200)
+    })
+
+    it('should return the list of misspellings', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      expect(body).to.deep.equal({
+        misspellings: [{ index: 0, suggestions: ['anther', 'another'] }]
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe('when multiple words are submitted', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      response = await checkWord(['anather', 'anather', 'theorie'])
+    })
+
+    it('should return the misspellings for all the words', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      expect(body.misspellings.length).to.equal(3)
+    })
+
+    it('should have misspelling suggestions with consecutive indexes', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      const indexes = body.misspellings.map(mspl => mspl.index)
+      expect(indexes).to.deep.equal([0, 1, 2])
+    })
+
+    it('should return identical suggestions for the same entry', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      expect(body.misspellings[0].suggestions).to.deep.equal(
+        body.misspellings[1].suggestions
+      )
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe('when a very long list of words if submitted', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      let words = []
+      for (let i = 0; i <= 20000; i++) {
+        words.push('anather')
+      }
+      response = await checkWord(words)
+    })
+
+    it('should return misspellings for the first 10K results only', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      expect(body.misspellings.length).to.equal(10000)
+    })
+
+    it('should have misspelling suggestions with consecutive indexes', async () => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      const indexList = body.misspellings.map(mspl => mspl.index)
+      expect(indexList.length).to.equal(10000) // avoid testing over an incorrect array
+      for (let i = 0; i < indexList.length - 1; i++) {
+        expect(indexList[i] + 1).to.equal(indexList[i + 1])
+      }
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/HealthCheckTest.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/HealthCheckTest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b4b3ef37b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/HealthCheckTest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+const { expect } = require('chai')
+const request = require('./helpers/request')
+
+describe('/health_check', () => {
+  it('should return 200', async () => {
+    const response = await request.get('/health_check')
+    expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(200)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/Init.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/Init.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b3c281423b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/Init.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+const App = require('../../../app.js')
+const { PORT } = require('./helpers/request')
+
+before(done => App.listen(PORT, 'localhost', done))
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/LearnTest.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/LearnTest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6f6bc21a2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/LearnTest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+const { expect } = require('chai')
+const request = require('./helpers/request')
+
+const USER_ID = 101
+
+const checkWord = words =>
+  request.post({
+    url: `/user/${USER_ID}/check`,
+    body: JSON.stringify({
+      words
+    })
+  })
+
+const learnWord = word =>
+  request.post({
+    url: `/user/${USER_ID}/learn`,
+    body: JSON.stringify({
+      word
+    })
+  })
+
+const deleteDict = () =>
+  request.del({
+    url: `/user/${USER_ID}`
+  })
+
+describe('learning words', () => {
+  it('should return status 200 when posting a word successfully', async () => {
+    const response = await learnWord('abcd')
+    expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(200)
+  })
+
+  it('should return no misspellings after a word is learnt', async () => {
+    const response = await checkWord(['abv'])
+    const responseBody = JSON.parse(response.body)
+    expect(responseBody.misspellings.length).to.equals(1)
+
+    await learnWord('abv')
+
+    const response2 = await checkWord(['abv'])
+    const responseBody2 = JSON.parse(response2.body)
+    expect(responseBody2.misspellings.length).to.equals(0)
+  })
+
+  it('should return misspellings again after a personal dictionary is deleted', async () => {
+    await learnWord('bvc')
+    await deleteDict()
+
+    const response = await checkWord(['bvc'])
+    const responseBody = JSON.parse(response.body)
+    expect(responseBody.misspellings.length).to.equals(1)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/StatusTest.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/StatusTest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bfed8033a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/StatusTest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+const { expect } = require('chai')
+const request = require('./helpers/request')
+
+describe('/status', () => {
+  it('should return 200', async () => {
+    const response = await request.get('/health_check')
+    expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(200)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/helpers/request.js b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/helpers/request.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..538e29f1b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/spelling/test/acceptance/js/helpers/request.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+const { promisify } = require('util')
+
+const PORT = 3005
+
+const BASE_URL = `http://${process.env['HTTP_TEST_HOST'] ||
+  'localhost'}:${PORT}`
+
+const request = require('request').defaults({
+  baseUrl: BASE_URL,
+  headers: {
+    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
+  },
+  followRedirect: false
+})
+
+module.exports = {
+  PORT,
+  get: promisify(request.get),
+  post: promisify(request.post),
+  del: promisify(request.del)
+}