Spelling app comparisons & guides
Honest, regularly-updated comparisons of the best spelling apps for kids — verified prices and features, including where Spelly falls short.
- Updated 2026-09-29
1st Grade Spelling Words: 12 Free Lists (2026)
What spelling words should a 1st grader know? Short vowels, digraphs, blends, silent e and first sight words, with 12 free lists of 10 words to practice.
- Updated 2026-09-29
2nd Grade Spelling Words: 12 Lists by Pattern (2026)
What spelling words should a 2nd grader know? Silent e, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, -ing and -ed endings, compound and tricky words, in 12 free lists.
- Updated 2026-09-29
3rd Grade Spelling Words: 12 Lists to Practice
What spelling words should a 3rd grader know? Twelve lists of ten words for ages 8 to 9: r-controlled vowels, oi and ou, prefixes, suffixes and contractions.
- Updated 2026-09-29
4th Grade Spelling Words: 11 Lists by Pattern (2026)
What spelling words should a 4th grader know? Eleven lists of 4th grade words by pattern: prefixes, -tion and -sion, doubling, dropping e, y to i, homophones.
- Updated 2026-09-29
5th Grade Spelling Words: 11 Free Lists (2026)
What spelling words should a 5th grader know? Free 5th grade lists by skill: Greek and Latin roots, -able and -ible, -ous, silent letters and homophones.
- Updated 2026-09-29
Fry Sight Words: The First 100 in Order (2026)
What are the Fry sight words? Edward Fry's 1,000 Instant Words, ranked by frequency. The first 100 as ten lists of 10, and how Fry differs from Dolch.
- Updated 2026-09-29
A Good Spelling App for a Child With Dyslexia (2026)
What to look for in a spelling app for a child with dyslexia: every word read aloud, their own school list, no timers, and missed words that come back.
- Updated 2026-09-29
Spelling Practice for Kids With ADHD: A Parent Guide
How to help a child with ADHD practice spelling: short sessions, movement breaks, instant feedback, and what to look for in a spelling app, with sources.
- Updated 2026-09-29
Spelling App for Your Child's Own Word List (2026)
Yes. Some spelling apps let you type, paste or photograph your child's weekly school list. What to look for before a Friday test, and how the options compare.
- Updated 2026-09-29
Spelling Practice App for Hebrew or Arabic? (2026)
Yes: Spelly works in Hebrew and Arabic, right to left, with every word read aloud. What makes these scripts hard to spell, and what to check in any app.
- Updated 2026-06-03
The Best Free Spelling Apps for Kids in 2026 (Honestly Compared)
Looking for a free spelling app for your kid? We compared the best free options in 2026 — fully free apps, generous free tiers, and what each one limits. No $125/year price tags.
- Updated 2026-06-03
The Best Spelling App by Age: 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 Year Olds (2026)
The right spelling app depends on your child's age. Here are the best spelling apps for 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 year olds in 2026 — matched to what kids learn at each grade.
- Updated 2026-06-03
The 8 Best SpellingCity Alternatives in 2026 (Tested & Compared)
VocabularySpellingCity now costs $108–125/year. Here are 8 tested alternatives for kids' spelling practice in 2026 — free options, cheaper paid apps, and AI-powered picks. Compared fairly by price, features, and age.
- Updated 2026-09-22
Sight Words by Grade: The Complete Dolch Lists (2026)
All 220 Dolch sight words by grade, pre-primer to third, plus data from 15,435 answers showing which ones children actually get wrong. The homophones are the hard part: "their" is missed 71% of the time.
- Updated 2026-09-22
Can Duolingo Help My Child With Spelling? (2026)
Duolingo ABC teaches phonics and early spelling for ages 3 to 8, free. The main Duolingo app teaches foreign languages. Neither can practise the weekly list that came home from school, and here is why that distinction matters.
- Updated 2026-06-03
How Spelling Is Taught in Schools — and Why Patterns Matter (2026)
How is spelling actually taught in schools? A clear guide to phonics, spelling patterns, and word study for parents — why weekly lists are organized the way they are, backed by research.
- Updated 2026-06-03
How to Help Your Child With Spelling: A Research-Backed Parent's Guide (2026)
A practical, research-backed guide to helping your child with spelling at home — what actually works (and what doesn't), backed by cognitive science, with techniques for every age 6–12.
- Updated 2026-06-03
Spelling Apps That Scan Your Kid's Word List (Photo to Practice) — 2026
Tired of typing your child's spelling list by hand? These apps turn a photo of the weekly worksheet into spelling practice automatically. Compared by features, audio, and price for 2026.
- Updated 2026-10-02
Free Spelling Shed Alternatives (2026): What You Get Without Paying
Spelling Shed's parent plan is £34.16 a year. SpellingJoy, Spelly and SpellCrush all have free plans; here is what each one gives you.
- Updated 2026-06-03
Spelling Words by Grade: Free Lists for 1st–5th Grade (2026)
Free spelling word lists for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, organized by the patterns kids learn at each level — plus what spelling skills to expect at every grade.
- Updated 2026-10-02
Spelly vs SpellCrush: Two Spelling Game Apps Compared (2026)
SpellCrush is a web app at $4.99 a month with 15 games; Spelly is on web, iPhone and Android, free to start or $29 once. What each does better.
- Updated 2026-09-22
Spelly vs Squeebles: Which Spelling App Should You Choose? (2026)
Spelly vs Squeebles Spelling Connect for 2026 — Squeebles lets a parent or teacher record their own voice and set school homework; Spelly scans the worksheet and plays 5 game modes in 14 languages. See which fits.
- Updated 2026-06-03
Spelly vs Spelling Shed: Which Spelling App Is Better for Your Kid? (2026)
Spelly vs Spelling Shed compared for 2026 — price, AI features, worksheet scanning, curriculum alignment, and whether you need a school subscription. See which fits your family.
- Updated 2026-06-03
Spelly vs SpellingCity: A Modern, Lower-Cost Spelling App for Kids (2026)
Spelly vs SpellingCity compared for 2026 — price, AI features, worksheet scanning, and age fit. See why parents choose Spelly for kids ages 6–12, and where SpellingCity still wins.
- Updated 2026-10-02
Spelly vs SpellingJoy: Free Spelling Apps Compared (2026)
Spelly vs SpellingJoy compared for 2026 — both have free tiers, but they differ on AI, worksheet scanning, game modes, and classroom tools. See which free spelling app fits your kid.
- Updated 2026-06-03
Why Is My Child Struggling With Spelling? Causes and How to Help (2026)
If your child struggles with spelling, here are the real reasons — from normal development to dyslexia — and research-backed ways to help, explained clearly for parents of kids ages 6–12.