9 Best Games to Help With Spelling of 2026

Spelling Shed ranks first because it is a spelling product from top to bottom rather than a reading app with a spelling section. On the US App Store, EdShed lists games such as Hungry Horses, Penalty Spell-out, Shed Load, Squirrel Scurry and the original Spelling Bee, plus Missing Words and Definitions games for vocabulary. Kids pick from over 1,000,000 word lists or a parent's custom list, choose one of four levels from easy to extreme, and can switch on phonics mode to spell with graphemes. Hive games add real-time multiplayer with classmates, and play works offline. The app costs $2.99 once; the full Science of Spelling curriculum is a website subscription, and the US pricing page asks for a quote rather than showing a price. Some App Store reviewers say custom lists open fewer games in the app than on the web version. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Spelling Stars is the pick for families and teachers who care about test results as much as the games. You create or copy a list, then assign practice, games or a test, and the site grades tests instantly and keeps reports that parents can check from home. Lists cover kindergarten to 9th grade, and every game, from Word Search and Spelling Soup to arcade-style Stack Attack and Racing Stars, uses the child's own words. The pricing page lists the Bronze Plan at $6.99 for one month at the smallest class size, or $26.99 billed once for 12 months, with a 7-day free trial that needs no credit card. The catch is that Bronze includes only 3 games; Silver adds 3 more and Gold includes all 19. It runs in a browser, with no native app listed. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Spell It is the simplest way to practice a weekly school list on a phone. You add this week's words, and the app turns them into a spoken spelling test, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank, word scramble and word search. Every word gets a low, medium or high confidence level that rises as the child practices, and the app's daily practice picks the words that still need work. Profiles keep each child's lists apart, and a test-date reminder says how many words are left. It is free to download with ads; Spell It Pro costs $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year on the US App Store. Unlike Spelling Shed and Spelling Stars, it does not describe built-in grade-level lists, so it relies on the words you enter, and it only runs on iPhone and iPad. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Word Wizard for Kids suits younger spellers who learn by moving letters around. Its talking movable alphabet speaks any word or sentence a child builds, using letter sounds or names, and that same board drives three spelling activities of rising difficulty: Word Practice, Scrambled Letters and Spelling Quizzes. The quiz will not move to the next word until the current one is spelled correctly, and hints are there if a child is stuck. The app ships with 200 word lists, about 2,000 words including Dolch words and the 1,000 most frequent words, and you can add your own lists with pictures. It supports unlimited users and exports per-user spelling test reports as PDF. It costs $12.99 once on the US App Store with no subscription. The tradeoff is that it feels more like a learning tool than an arcade game. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Prodigy English is the free option for kids who want a full game and do not mind that spelling is one part of broader English practice. Players gather materials, craft decorations and build their own world, and they answer reading and language questions to restore the energy that lets them keep building. Prodigy says the game is aligned to Common Core reading, language and writing standards for grades 1 to 6, and teachers get free assessments and real-time reports. One Prodigy account covers both Prodigy English and Prodigy Math. All educational content is free; a separate Prodigy English Membership adds more Wishcoin, extra rewards and goal features. The limits for a spelling list are clear: you cannot enter a child's weekly words, and the questions cover reading and language as a whole. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Spelling: Spelling Games from Bucket List Labs is aimed at spellers who are past the basics. It sorts words by grade level from 1 to 9 and by more than 50 topics, adds a campaign mode with over 1,000 levels, and lets you build custom lists. Kids warm up with multiple choice, then switch to text entry where they hear a word and type it, with mini-games for fill in the blank, word search and hangman. Each word comes with its definition, part of speech and language of origin, and there is a list of 200+ commonly misspelled words, which helps with spelling bee prep. It is free to download; the US App Store lists Spelling Bee Premium at $4.99 a month among several other plans. Younger children will get more from Word Wizard or Spelling Shed. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Duolingo ABC is the free starting point for the youngest children, before a spelling list ever comes home. It offers more than 700 short lessons on the alphabet, phonics, sight words and vocabulary for preschool to 2nd grade, with letter tracing, drag-and-drop prompts and interactive stories that highlight each word as it is read aloud. Mini games and rewards keep kids moving through the lessons. Duolingo says there are no ads or in-app purchases, and the app works offline. Apple lists it as an Editors' Choice. For spelling, its role is the foundation: letter-sound knowledge and sight words. It does not describe custom word lists or spelling tests, and content ends at 2nd grade, so older children will need Spelling Shed, Spelling Stars or Spell It. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Reading Eggs is the pick when a child needs help with reading and spelling together. The app bundles alphabet games, spelling games, phonics activities, word puzzles and over 4,000 e-books, and splits them across programs: Reading Eggs Junior for ages 2 to 4, Reading Eggs for ages 3 to 7 covering phonics, sight words, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension, Fast Phonics for ages 5 to 10, and Reading Eggspress for ages 7 to 13. Lessons are self-paced and matched to each child's level, and golden eggs and collectable pets keep kids motivated. One subscription covers up to four children. On the US App Store, Reading Eggs costs $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and a bundle with Mathseeds is $13.99 a month. It does not describe custom spelling lists, so it will not drill the words from a school test. We compared documented features and published prices only.

Starfall is a long-running nonprofit site and app that covers reading and math from pre-K to grade 5. Its reading section spans ABCs, Learn to Read, I'm Reading, punctuation and parts of speech, and recent updates added seasonal word lists aimed at spelling. The basics for learning to read are free, and there are no ads for anyone; a subscription adds hundreds of extra activities for $5.99 a month on the US App Store. Starfall also offers an Enhanced Accessible Index for children with visual, hearing or mobility impairments. It ranks last here because spelling is a small slice of a broad early learning program, the app needs an internet connection, and it does not describe custom word lists or spelling tests. Families who mainly want spelling practice will get more from the list-based games above. We compared documented features and published prices only.