Spelly
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Spelling practice app · ages 6–12

The weekly spelling list, turned into a game kids actually want to play.

Scan your child's weekly school list, or generate one with AI, and practice takes care of itself.

Start free See it in action ↓
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
5 game modes14 languagesPhone · tablet · desktop
Hebrew: דרקון
ד
ו
ק
נ
ר

Play in 14 languages.

What is Spelly?

Spelling practice that feels like a game

Spelly is a free, AI-powered spelling practice app for kids ages 6–12. Parents scan a worksheet or generate a word list by topic or spelling pattern, and kids practice across 5 game modes in 14 languages. It's free to start, or $29 once for unlimited AI features.

Why we built it

It started with my son Tommy and his weekly 20-word spelling list. Every Sunday was the same - flashcards, groans, words forgotten by Monday. So we built it together: something that felt more like a game than a worksheet. Tommy tested every level and picked the rewards. Now he's the one reminding me when it's practice time.— Tommy & his dad · Why we built Spelly
TEST
ON
FRIDAY

you've got this!

5 ways to play

One word list. Five game modes.

Every list works in every mode, and all five are open from the start. The games get harder step by step, from matching a picture to typing the word.

🔓 Available from the start

Type It

The classic spelling test. Kids hear the word in a natural voice and type it letter by letter — instant feedback, no waiting for Friday. Keyboard autocomplete, suggestions, and voice-to-text are blocked, so it's real spelling — not autocorrect.

ROCK

🚫 No autocomplete · no voice-to-text

🔓 Available from the start

Multiple Choice

Hear the word, then pick the correct spelling from a set of tempting look-alikes. Great for early readers building confidence.

recievereceive ✓receeve

🔓 Available from the start

Build It

Tap chunky letter tiles to build the word from scratch — perfect for kids who learn by doing, not typing.

DRA
NGO

🔓 Available from the start

Fill the Gap

Some letters are already in place — kids fill in the tricky missing ones. Targets the exact spots words go wrong.

PENUN

🔓 Available from the start

Matching

Match each word to its picture, and tap a word to hear it. A gentle first meeting with new words, before any spelling.

🐙
otteroctopus ✓ostrich

Read about the five game modes →

The Spelly magic

Snap a list. We teach every word.

No typing. No recording. No flashcards. Photograph your child's spelling list and AI turns each word into a game — read aloud in a real voice, shown as a picture, and explained in kid-friendly words.

📸 Mrs. Lee · Week 12 list

  • elephant
  • giraffe
  • rainbow
  • volcano
  • octopus
  • butterfly
➜

AI reads it ✨ · Imported to Spelly

🐘 elephant 🔊 ✓
🦒 giraffe 🔊 ✓
🌈 rainbow 🔊 ✓
🌋 volcano 🔊 ✓
🐙 octopus 🔊 ✓
🦋 butterfly 🔊 ✓
✨ AI picture🔊 Hear itnoun
🐘

Elephant

A huge grey animal with big floppy ears, a long trunk and curved tusks.

“The elephant flapped its enormous ears.”

🔤 el · e · phant   🧩 3 syllables

Try it with your child's real list

Drop a photo of the worksheet, or — JPG or PNG.

Sign in and Spelly turns every word into a game. The photo stays on this device until then.

Read aloud, pictured and explained — in any of 14 languages, with part of speech, synonyms and opposites too. You never record a thing. How Scan works →

Practice by pattern

Practice exactly what they're learning this week.

Schools teach a new spelling pattern almost every week — “this week: -ing words.” Spelly lets you practice the exact same pattern, with 12 patterns across 3 categories — whether your child is in 1st grade or 5th.

🔚 Word endings

-ing
-ing wordsrunning, jumping
-ed
-ed wordsjumped, played
-er
-er wordsbigger, faster
-ly
-ly wordsquickly, slowly

🔤 Phonics patterns

kn
Silent lettersknight, lamb
ll
Double lettersrabbit, ball
a–e
Silent Ecake, kite
ai
Long vowelsrain, boat

🔜 Word beginnings

un-
un- wordsunhappy, unable
re-
re- wordsredo, return
pre-
pre- wordspreheat, preview
dis-
dis- wordsdislike, disappear

🎓 Aligned with US Common Core & UK National Curriculum spelling patterns · The 12 patterns explained →

More AI under the hood

Smart enough for any word list.

No list? Make one in seconds. Have a printed worksheet? Snap a photo. Spelly handles the rest.

✨ AI Word Generator

Pick a topic, difficulty and length — get a ready list instantly. 70+ built-in topics across themed sections, or type your own.

🦁 Animals🚀 Space🍕 Food🐉 Dragons⚽ Sports+ custom

🎚️ Four difficulty levels

Easy (K–1st), Medium (2nd–3rd), Hard (4th+) and Challenge (advanced) - spelling practice for 1st through 5th grade that grows with your child. Spelling words by grade →

📷 Scan a worksheet

Snap your kid's printed, typed or even handwritten spelling list — AI reads it and pulls out just the words.

🔊 Natural text-to-speech

Every word read aloud in a real, friendly voice — pick from 6, cached on-device for instant replay.

AlloyNovaShimmerEchoFableOnyx

📖 Definitions & context Premium

A definition, example sentence, part of speech, synonym and opposite - plus one short fact, like why the k in knee is silent.

🖼️ A picture for every word

Kid-safe illustrations for every word we have drawn - free for everyone, no upgrade needed.

The reason they keep coming back

A whole game built around getting words right.

XP, coins, streaks, a daily goal, badges and a hero to customize — the retention loop that turns practice into a daily habit.

🪙 Earn as you spell

🪙 342🔥 12⭐ Lv 7

Coins for every word, XP that levels you up, 50 coins for every new level, and a 🔥 streak that tracks day after day.

🎯 Daily goal

6/10 🪙

“Spell 10 words today.” One clear goal every day, filled just by playing. Finishing it pays 120 coins and 60 XP.

🏆 Badges to collect

🌟🔥📚💎🧙

First Steps, level milestones, 3/7/14-day streaks, 50/100/500 words and perfect-round badges.

🥚 Creature collection - 12 to hatch

earned by finishing lists · never bought

Finish a word list and its creature hatches. Spell every word right again on another day and it grows up. It is the one thing in Spelly that asks a child to come back tomorrow.

OttoOttoOcean · 20
RippRippDinosaurs · 19
NovaNovaSpace · 18
HootHootSchool · 12

14 languages

Practice in one language. Read meanings in another.

Practice spelling in one language while reading meanings in another — a genuine wedge for bilingual and ESL families. Full right-to-left support for Hebrew & Arabic. Tap a language to see how it works.

Practice in 🇬🇧 English · read meanings in your native language 📚The whole interface is translated, too.

🔊 New: Second Voice - hear the word in a second language too

Word lists & library

Four ways to build a list. Zero busywork.

However the words arrive, Spelly turns them into a game in seconds.

🎨 All 73 topics

Animals, food, space, sports — and 70+ more.

🔤 Tricky word puzzles

-ing, silent letters and 12 weekly patterns.

📷 Scan a worksheet

Snap your kid's worksheet — AI lifts the words. Apps that scan lists →

⌨️ Custom

Type your own list straight in.

💾 Saved lists📚 Curated library with progress tracking🔁 Retry missed words🧹 Filter out noise words📊 Words mastered + attempts🌍 First Words - starter vocabulary for new-language learners🎓 New: Test mode - a date countdown and ⭐ challenge words on any list

Spelly for Chrome

Build the word list right where you find it.

A little Chrome extension that collects the words from a page, a ready-made topic or a photo - then you practise the list on Spelly like any other.

You decide what makes the list.

Nothing is saved until you say so. The extension shows you what it found, you drop anything you don't want, name the list yourself - and it's ready to practise.

1
Highlight and right-click.

Select words anywhere on a page and choose “Add to Spelly”.

2
Review before it saves.

Tap any word to drop it, and give the list its own name.

3
Practise on Spelly.

The finished list opens on spelly.net like any other.

🧩 Chrome Web Store

Spelly · Build a list 🧩

📄 7 words found on this page · Year 4 spellings

sunlight ✕harvest ✕machine ✕notice ✕glisten ✕escape ✕homework ✕

👆 Tap a word to drop it

List name Week 12 · Mrs. Lee
Save to Spelly 🚀

🔎 From the page you're on

Open the school's spelling page, a Google Classroom assignment or the class newsletter - the extension finds the list on it and pulls the words out. Nothing from the page is sent anywhere.

🔒 Runs on your own computer

🎨 From a ready-made topic

73 curated lists come bundled inside the extension - animals, space, dinosaurs, the human body. Pick one and it's built.

🙌 No account needed

📸 From a photo

Photograph the worksheet or drop in a screenshot, and it reads the words straight off the picture.

✨ Uses Spelly's AI

🧩 Free on the Chrome Web Store - speaks 14 languages, finds word lists on pages in 9.

Up and running in a minute

How Spelly works

1

Bring a list

Scan a worksheet, type the words, or let AI generate a themed list on any topic.

2

Hear & spell

Spelly reads each word aloud. Kids spell it across 5 game modes with hints and combos.

3

Earn & level up

Coins, XP, streaks and badges roll in - with creatures to hatch and bragging rights.

Getting started guide →

Beyond the weekly list

More than weekly homework

Spelly works for any list of words worth learning — in any of 14 languages.

🏝️ Heading abroad?

Generate a Travel list and learn the most useful words before you land — greetings, numbers, directions, food.

🌍 Learning a new language?

Practice core vocabulary in Spanish, French, Hebrew, Thai and more — and read meanings in your native language.

👩‍💻 Grown-ups too.

Adults use the same word lists and game modes to sharpen their own spelling and vocabulary.

🏠 Bilingual households.

Each family member practices in the language they're working on, all in one app.

📚 Test & spelling-bee prep.

Build a custom list of the exact words your child needs to master before the big day. 4-week spelling bee plan →

✈️ ESL learners.

Practice English spelling while reading every definition in a first language.

For teachers

Your whole class, practicing in one minute

Share a spelling list with one link. Students practice instantly - no student accounts, no student emails, ever.

1
Make the list

Type this week's words, snap a photo of the worksheet, or generate a list by topic.

2
Share one link

Add your name and a note like “Spelling test this Friday” - then send it in any class channel, or show the QR code and let the room point their cameras at it.

3
Students practice instantly

The link opens straight into practice on any device — free for every student.

🔒 Spelly collects nothing from your students.📊 Track my class - on a list you mark as a school test, see who practiced and their scores, from the same single link (Premium)

👀 See a live example → · How to share a list with your class →

Simple, kid-fair pricing

Start free. Unlock once for unlimited practice.

The full game is free forever. One $29 payment makes hearts unlimited and adds unlimited worksheet scans, AI lists, a second voice and word facts. No subscription.

Free

$0free forever

  • All 5 game modes
  • 70+ topics & 12 patterns
  • Full gamification & a daily goal
  • 8 hearts to start, more every day
Start free →
💎 One payment

Premium

$29one-time. No subscription, ever.

  • Unlimited hearts: practice never stops
  • Unlimited worksheet scans & AI lists
  • A second voice and word facts
Get Premium
Every plan includes the full game
🎮 All 5 game modes📚 70+ topics & 12 patterns🏆 XP, coins, streaks & badges🥚 12 creatures to hatch🌍 14 languages💾 Save & share word lists

Free starts with 8 hearts. A round of practice uses one, and wrong answers are free. One heart comes back every 2 hours, and each new day starts with at least 3. Premium makes hearts unlimited. What are hearts? →

Spelling app comparison

Switching from another spelling app? Here's how Spelly compares.

Whatever app you're using now, here's a factual, side-by-side comparison. (When VocabularySpellingCity raised prices from $35/year to $125/year in 2024, a lot of parents started shopping around.) See the full comparison →

SpellyVocabularySpellingCitySpelling ShedSqueebles
Price$29 once (or free)$108–125/yr$29–38/yr$3.99/mo
AI-generated word listsYesNoNoNo
Scan worksheet from photoYesNoNoNo
Browser extensionYes · ChromeNoNoNo
Pattern practice (-ing, silent letters)Yes · 12 patternsLimitedLimitedLimited
Custom topic generationYesNoNoNo
Game modes5 modesSomeSomeCharacter games
Languages14EnglishEnglishEnglish (UK/US)
Designed forAges 6–12K–12 genericAges 5–11Ages 5–9
Free tier with full gameYesNoTrial onlyTrial only

Spelling Shed alternatives · Best free spelling apps · Best app by age

Start free →

Questions parents ask

Spelly FAQ

Last updated: August 2026

Is Spelly free?
Yes - Spelly is free to start. The free plan includes all 5 game modes, 70+ word-list topics, a daily goal and the full gamification system, plus 8 hearts to start. A round of practice uses one heart, wrong answers are free, one heart comes back every 2 hours and each new day starts with at least 3. For unlimited practice, Spelly is a one-time payment of $29. No subscription, ever.
What ages is Spelly for?
Spelly is designed for kids ages 6 to 12 (grades 1–5), and that's who it's built around - four difficulty levels, from Easy (K–1st) through Challenge, let the same word lists grow with your child. But anyone can use Spelly to strengthen spelling and vocabulary, including older kids and adults. And it isn't English-only: with 14 languages, the whole family can practice - whether a parent is brushing up on a new language or learning travel words before a trip abroad. Best spelling app by age →
How is Spelly different from SpellingCity?
Spelly costs $29 once, or is free to start, while VocabularySpellingCity runs about $108–125 per year. Spelly is the only one of the two that scans your child's worksheet from a photo and generates word lists by topic or spelling pattern with AI. It's purpose-built for ages 6–12 across 5 game modes and 14 languages, while SpellingCity is a broader K–12 classroom tool. SpellingCity alternatives →
How is Spelly different from Spelling Shed?
Spelly and Spelling Shed are priced very differently: Spelly is a one-time payment of $29 with a free tier, while Spelling Shed is subscription-only (about $30 per year). Spelly is built for home use with AI-generated lists and worksheet scanning, so nothing depends on a school subscription. Spelling Shed has deeper formal curriculum alignment and competitive leagues; Spelly is more flexible and game-focused. Spelling Shed alternatives →
Is Spelly a good free alternative to SpellingJoy?
Both have free options. SpellingJoy is completely free with no limits but no AI, scanning, or game modes. Spelly's core game is free too - 5 game modes, 70+ topics, and full gamification - with a daily amount of free practice set by hearts, plus one free worksheet scan and one free AI list every day. Choose SpellingJoy for unlimited no-frills practice, or Spelly for a richer, game-like experience with AI lists and worksheet scanning. Best free spelling apps →
Does Spelly work on iPad, iPhone, and Android?
Yes, three ways. There is a free app on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and a free app on Google Play for Android, and Spelly also runs in any web browser on phones, tablets, desktops and laptops with nothing to install. The same account works everywhere, and the interface uses big, kid-friendly tap targets sized for small hands. Download on the App Store → Get it on Google Play →
How does the worksheet scan feature work?
Snap a photo of your child's spelling worksheet - printed, typed or handwritten. Spelly's AI reads the image, pulls out just the spelling words, and turns each one into a playable list in seconds. You can filter out any noise words before practice, so there's no typing the list in by hand. On a computer, scan the QR code with your phone to photograph the sheet there - no app, no signing in on the phone - and the words land in your account. How Scan works →
What spelling patterns does Spelly cover?
Spelly covers 12 spelling patterns across 3 categories. Word endings: -ing, -ed, -er, -ly. Phonics patterns: silent letters, double letters, silent E, long vowels. Word beginnings: un-, re-, pre-, dis-. These match the weekly patterns schools teach, so kids practice the exact rule from this week's list. How spelling is taught in schools →
Is Spelly aligned with Common Core or the UK National Curriculum?
Yes. Spelly's 12 spelling patterns are aligned with US Common Core and UK National Curriculum spelling expectations - the same -ing, silent-letter and prefix patterns schools assign each week. Parents can match this week's classroom list exactly, whether their child is in 1st grade or 5th grade.
How does Spelly compare to Duolingo for spelling?
Duolingo teaches foreign-language vocabulary; Spelly is built specifically for spelling practice in your child's own school words. Spelly lets you scan or generate the exact weekly list, hear each word in a natural voice, and spell it across 5 game modes - something general language apps like Duolingo don't do.
What languages does Spelly support?
Spelly supports 14 languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Burmese and Japanese, with full right-to-left support for Hebrew and Arabic. Kids can practice spelling in one language while reading word meanings in another - ideal for bilingual and ESL families.
Do I need to create an account or download anything?
You don't have to download anything - Spelly works right in your web browser on any device, so kids can begin spelling practice in under a minute. Prefer an app? There are free apps on the App Store and Google Play too. Either way, sign in securely with Google to save progress across devices, or start playing free first. Getting started →
Is there a Spelly Chrome extension?
Yes - Spelly for Chrome is free on the Chrome Web Store. It builds a word list from the page you're on, from 73 ready-made topics bundled inside it, or from a photo of a worksheet - then opens the finished list on spelly.net to practise. Finding lists on a page happens entirely on your own computer: the pages you visit are never sent to us or anyone else. The extension speaks 14 languages and can find word lists on pages in 9 of them. Get Spelly for Chrome →

More answers in the Help Center → · How to help your child with spelling · Why kids struggle with spelling

Ready to make spelling the best part of homework?

Join the kids turning Friday's spelling test into a game they ask to play.

Start spelling free ✨