Phrases and dictation sentences
A list can hold whole phrases and short sentences, up to 12 words each. Your child hears the whole phrase, types all of it, and each word is marked on its own.
How it works
Add a phrase
Type it as one entry and press Enter, like “threw food into the tank”. It shows with a phrase tag, and the list counts words and phrases apart.
Or scan the dictation sheet: each numbered sentence becomes one phrase. Check them before you play.
Your child types the whole phrase
Spelly reads the phrase out loud. The turtle plays it slower. Your child types all of it in one go and taps Check.
Each word is marked
Right words turn green. A word to fix turns orange, so one slip does not make the whole phrase wrong.
Fix only that word
Tap Fix it. The green words stay in place and your child retypes only the orange one. Later in the round, the whole phrase comes back to type once more.
Common questions
How long can a phrase be?
Up to 12 words. A longer one stays in the typing box with a message asking you to split it in two.
Is “ice cream” a phrase?
No. A compound word like “ice cream” stays one word and plays like any other word. If Spelly gets one wrong, tap its phrase tag and choose Split into words or Keep as one word.
My phrase has a comma in it.
A comma starts a new entry when you type, so “No, I'm not” would split in two. Paste your list instead, with one phrase on each line, or scan the sheet.
What counts as wrong?
A misspelled word, a missing word, and a missing apostrophe (“mustnt”). A capital letter or the full stop at the end is never marked wrong.
Does a phrase use more hearts?
No. A round uses one heart, whether its list has words, phrases or both.