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Spelling Apps for Students
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Montessorium: Intro to Words
Well-crafted app lets emerging readers and writers develop reading skills through word building
Bottom line: Basic reading skills are developed through word building, word play, and letter-sound recognition.
Gappy Learns Reading - Teach Kids Spelling and Reading With Letters & Sounds - Educational Sight Word Games for Kindergarten
Simple spelling game hones in on specific reading skills
Bottom line: A basic -- if somewhat limited and tedious -- letter-sound matching game for early readers and spellers.
Word Wagon - by Duck Duck Moose
Charming objects and animals turn spelling into play
Bottom line: Word Wagon is fun to use with students at various spelling skill levels.
Freefall Spelling
Cute, colorful app offers solid early spelling practice, custom lists
Bottom line: Bright images, three modes of play, and custom options combine for a good first digital spelling practice experience.
Avokiddo ABC Ride
Inventive letter-learning activities take kids on a near-perfect ride
Bottom line: A fun way for kids to play thoughtful games and explore letters and words. A few small changes could really beef up letter learning.
Rocket Speller
Fun, easy-to-use game makes spelling fun
Bottom line: Great mix of spelling, phonics, and fun.
Word Wizard for Kids
Super-structured spelling support and word-building free play, too
Bottom line: Helps kids improve spelling through pre-made or custom lists and word building.
Sight Words - An early reading & spelling adventure!
Repeatedly identify, spell sight words in fun, semi-customizable games
Bottom line: A variety of kid-friendly activities gives students lots of exposure to and practice with commonly used sight words.
Tiggly Doctor: Spell Verbs and Perform Actions Like a Real Doctor
Practice spelling while practicing medicine
Bottom line: G-R-O-S-S spelling fun brings shock value to spelling and vocab.
Spelling Shed
Drill-based practice caters well to teachers, less so to kids
Bottom line: When teachers use the whole program, including the offline materials like printables, there's potential here for a comprehensive if traditional approach to spelling drills.
VocabularySpellingCity
Subscription-based, student-facing app fine for independent practice
Bottom line: A potentially more engaging -- although uneven -- option for your students, if you've got a Premium membership.
Mystery Word Town Spelling
Old West crime-fighting takes kids on a spelling adventure
Bottom line: A challenging and really fun way for kids to practice spelling.
SpellBoard
Well-designed, kid-empowering spelling list creator
Bottom line: It's a quality app but needs some oversight; it would be nice if you could track multiple students' scores at once.
A+ Spelling Test
Spelling practice app meets expectations, doesn't exceed them
Bottom line: An option worth considering for students needing to build their spelling skills at home or in the classroom.
MasterSwords
Scrabble meets Choose Your Own Adventure in a dueling of (s)words
Bottom line: While it could use more gameplay variety, students will enjoy this game's Adventure Time-inspired take on vocabulary and spelling.
Osmo Words
Versatile word game challenges across content areas and abilities
Bottom line: Fun game-like way to review spelling or content vocabulary.
Spelling Bee
Functional flashcard and quiz tool links to impressive video library
Bottom line: Hard level words make excellent SAT vocab practice, but look elsewhere for more targeted practice.
W.E.L.D.E.R. Swap
Mashup of Boggle and Candy Crush gets kids forming new words
Bottom line: Students, especially word geeks, will dig this strategic game, but it's unclear how much it'll impact learning.
Scribblenauts Remix
Vocab-building word puzzles inspire creative problem-solving
Bottom line: Wide-open problem solving builds creativity, vocabulary, and spelling skills, but controls can be tricky.
SAT Vocab by MindSnacks
Variety is key in charmingly effective SAT vocab app
Bottom line: Upgrading to the full version gets you great games and a thorough word list for SAT vocab prep.