What are sparks?
Spelly's one bit of jargon, explained in a minute: what uses sparks, what's free, and what a purchase actually changes.
The short version
1 spark = 1 word practised. A 20-word round costs 20 sparks, charged when the round starts. A worksheet scan costs 15.
A new free account starts with 40 sparks — about two full rounds — and your balance is the ✨ number at the top of the app.
What never costs sparks
✅ Hearing every word read aloud
✅ All five game modes
✅ The ready-made topic lists on your dashboard
✅ XP, coins, streaks, badges and the avatar
✅ Practising a list someone shared with you — that is free and
needs no account at all
What Premium unlocks
Premium is a one-time $29 payment — no subscription, ever. It removes the spark budget entirely and unlocks the AI extras:
🤖 Unlimited word generation, on any topic you type
📸 Unlimited worksheet scanning
📖 Word definitions and examples on tap
🖼️ Pictures for your own words
👑 Premium avatar items and weekly progress reports
Prefer a smaller step? A $4.99 top-up adds 300 sparks (about 300 more words of practice) and never expires. See purchases.
Common questions
What happens when I run out?
Practising a shared link and everything else free keeps working, but new rounds need sparks. You can top up for $4.99 or unlock everything once for $29 — see purchases.
Do sparks expire or refill monthly?
Neither. Sparks are yours until you use them; there's no monthly reset and no subscription.
My account started with 100, not 40.
Accounts created before 18 August 2026 got a larger starting budget and keep it. Nothing was taken away from anyone.
Does replaying the same list cost again?
Yes — each round charges by its word count, because each round is real practice. Premium removes the counting entirely.