A comparison of classroom spelling apps
Teachers, we review what is available to you to help improve your students' spelling.
There are a lot of websites and apps out there focused on helping students learn spelling. We’ve organized them into two sections, for the classroom and for the home. We are focused on those that are built for the classroom, and have listed the pros and cons for those. However, we wanted to list those that are available for the home as well, to allow you to continue your research for home use. Note also that some of these apps support both classroom and home use (such as Spelling Test Buddy and Quizlet); in these cases, we have listed them in both sections. We’ve also excluded DVD, CD, and other physical products.
Are we missing something? Please let us know!
For the classroom
Spelling Test Buddy
Overview
Spelling Test Buddy helps grades 3-12 students master spelling while saving teachers time. Students take online tests with instant feedback, while teachers create custom lists and track progress. Parents can support learning at home as well.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free
- Optimized for teachers with classroom management features
- Manage groups, word lists, tests and students in an easy to use interface
- Create spelling tests in seconds through one of many ways (pre-made lists, upload your own PDF or photo, or enter your words)
- Track student progress across multiple tests
- Parent version allows parents to help their students practice at home as well
Cons
- No games yet
- Google Classroom integration is TBD
Spelling Stars
Overview
Spelling Stars help students learn to spell more easily through the use of technology and gamification. They provide online grading and a parent portal to see their child’s progress.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Use your own words or pre-made lists
- A variety of simple online games included. The games interrupt students to require them to spell words correctly before continuing
- Integration with Google Classroom
- Parent portal to see your child’s progress
Cons
- Pricy.
- Differentiated lists are relatively simplistic.
VocabularySpellingCity®️
Overview
VocabularySpellingCity is a game-based spelling and vocabulary website that offers a wide range of resources to help students learn and improve their language skills.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Established. Spelling City was started in 2009. It was purchased by Learning A-Z, a division of Cambrium Learning Group, in 2018.
- Game-based learning
Cons
- Cambrium no longer offers VocabularySpellingCity as a product. You must now buy the Vocabulary A-Z product, which costs $125/year. This is ~3x the price of the popular Spelling City product.
- Results after the transition have been relatively negative:
- You have to print out tests in order to allow students to practice
- Students cannot repeat activities or tests
- New tests don’t show the correct way to spell the word.
- Teachers cannot see individual students’ test submissions. Students have to walk their device up to the teacher’s desk or call the teacher over to show their results.
Rocket Spelling
Overview
Rocket Spelling provides individualized spelling instruction and practice in a gamified format that aims to keep students hooked.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Included instructional videos
- Games-based practice
- Real time data
Cons
- No ability to customize your own word lists
- No Google Classroom integration
- Focused on Pre-K through 2nd grade
Spelling Shed
Overview
Spelling Shed offers a full spelling curriculum along with spelling games and progress tracking.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Structured curriculum with a focus on games
- Aligns to Science of Reading research
- Progress tracking
- Integration with Google Classroom, Clever and others
Cons
- There’s not much variety or creativity in the games.
For the home
Scholar Within
Overview
Scholar Within is an at-home and online video spelling program. It provides a full curriculum, 30 minutes per day 3 days per week, with activities and assessments included. It is geared towards homeschooling families who are looking for a structured program.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full curriculum provided
- Activities and assessments included
Cons
- The most expensive solution we’ve seen, at $279/year at the time of writing.
Spell Quiz
Overview
Spell Quiz provides online spelling tests are designed to help K-12 students to ace spelling exams at school and prepare for Spelling Bee competitions. It is a subscription-based service that appears to be focused on the home market, but they do offer teacher licenses as well. The teacher edition does not appear to have any classroom management features, however.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free trial available
- Ability to prepare for Spelling Bees
- Comprehensive lists by grade level
Cons
- No classroom management features
- No ability to customize your own word lists
Spelling-Test.com
Overview
Spelling-Test.com is a free website that offers a few different types of worksheet creators, and also lets you create your own audio spelling tests.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free
- You can create a word list, audio word list, or multiple choice test.
- The website offers other features, like a crossword puzzle generator and word scramble generator.
Cons
- No tracking of student progress
- No classroom management features
All About Spelling
Overview
All About Spelling is a scripted program that teaches spelling. It is a seven level program geared towards parents, and uses the Orton-Gillingham method.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Scripted program based on the latest research in brain development
- Significant material (worksheets, books, filing cards, tote bags) included with the program
Cons
- It is its own program, so it doesn’t integrate with other tools
- Each of the 7 levels has a series of required materials that must be purchased separately
Touch-type, Read and Spell
Overview
Touch-type, Read and Spell is a typing + literacy program that teaches children to both type while also teaching them to read and spell.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Combines typing with reading and spelling
- Aligns to Orton-Gillingham principles
Cons
- Not explicitly focused on spelling
- Learning to type is not nearly as much of a challenge for students as it has been in the past when this program was first created, given the abundance of opportunities to type
Gemm Learning
Overview
Gemm Learning provides reading and learning software for use at home with remote oversight.Pros and Cons
Pros
- A neuroscience-based reading and learning program
- Remote oversight by trained professionals
Cons
- Focused on children with reading delays, dyslexia, ADHD, APD, and other learning differences
- Pricing is unavailable on their website
Spell Pundit
Overview
Spell Pundit is dedicated to Spelling Bee preparation.Pros and Cons
Pros
- The most comprehensive word lists available
Cons
- Explicitly focused on Spelling Bee preparation
Quizlet
Overview
Quizlet is an online learning platform that offers study tools like flashcards, quizzes, and games to help students and educators learn and review a wide range of subjects.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent for creating your own flashcards and mini-quizzes
- Wide variety of flashcard formats
- Large library of pre-made flashcards across many topics
- Classroom management features available for a fee
Cons
- Not focused on spelling, so the tools required to create and administer spelling tests quickly and easily don’t exist
- Much more time consuming to set up if you have a large number of students, groups, or word lists
Flippity
Overview
Flippity lets you easily turn a Google Spreadsheet into a Set of Online Flashcards.Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free (ad-supported, though)
- Easy to set up, provided you know how to connect a Google Spreadsheet to Flippity
Cons
- Not focused on spelling, so the tools required to create and administer spelling tests quickly and easily don’t exist
- No tracking of student progress
- No classroom management features
- We’ve heard it described as “wonky and unpredictable” by teachers