diff --git a/scripts/small.toy b/scripts/small.toy
index fd40910..663da06 100644
--- a/scripts/small.toy
+++ b/scripts/small.toy
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@
 
 
 
+var dict : [string, int] = ["hello" : 1, "world" : 2];
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/source/interpreter.c b/source/interpreter.c
index d62aa4c..2555a4f 100644
--- a/source/interpreter.c
+++ b/source/interpreter.c
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ static bool execVarDecl(Interpreter* interpreter, bool lng) {
 	Literal type = interpreter->literalCache.literals[typeIndex];
 
 	if (!declareScopeVariable(interpreter->scope, identifier, type)) {
-		printf("Can't redefine the variable \"");;
+		printf("Can't redefine the variable \"");
 		printLiteral(identifier);
 		printf("\"\n");
 		return false;
@@ -325,14 +325,14 @@ static bool execVarAssign(Interpreter* interpreter) {
 	Literal lhs = popLiteralArray(&interpreter->stack);
 
 	if (!IS_IDENTIFIER(lhs)) {
-		printf("Can't assign to a non-variable \"");;
+		printf("Can't assign to a non-variable \"");
 		printLiteral(lhs);
 		printf("\"\n");
 		return false;
 	}
 
 	if (!isDelcaredScopeVariable(interpreter->scope, lhs)) {
-		printf("Undeclared variable \"");;
+		printf("Undeclared variable \"");
 		printLiteral(lhs);
 		printf("\"\n");
 		return false;
diff --git a/source/scope.c b/source/scope.c
index 65c11ce..7e2a8f1 100644
--- a/source/scope.c
+++ b/source/scope.c
@@ -59,11 +59,11 @@ static bool checkType(Literal typeLiteral, Literal value) {
 		for (int i = 0; i < AS_DICTIONARY(value)->capacity; i++) {
 			//only assigned and non-tombstoned keys
 			if (!IS_NULL(AS_DICTIONARY(value)->entries[i].key)) {
-				if (checkType(((Literal*)(AS_TYPE(typeLiteral).subtypes))[0], AS_DICTIONARY(value)->entries[i].key)) {
+				if (!checkType(((Literal*)(AS_TYPE(typeLiteral).subtypes))[0], AS_DICTIONARY(value)->entries[i].key)) {
 					return false;
 				}
 
-				if (checkType(((Literal*)(AS_TYPE(typeLiteral).subtypes))[1], AS_DICTIONARY(value)->entries[i].value)) {
+				if (!checkType(((Literal*)(AS_TYPE(typeLiteral).subtypes))[1], AS_DICTIONARY(value)->entries[i].value)) {
 					return false;
 				}
 			}
@@ -112,7 +112,16 @@ bool declareScopeVariable(Scope* scope, Literal key, Literal type) {
 }
 
 bool isDelcaredScopeVariable(Scope* scope, Literal key) {
-	return existsLiteralDictionary(&scope->variables, key);
+	if (scope == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	//if it's not in this scope, keep searching up the chain
+	if (!existsLiteralDictionary(&scope->variables, key)) {
+		return isDelcaredScopeVariable(scope->ancestor, key);
+	}
+
+	return true;
 }
 
 //return false if undefined, or can't be assigned