Best Spelling Apps for Kids in 2026
Nine spelling apps compared on price, free tier, ages, platforms and whether they follow UK or Australian spelling, with every price re-checked on the vendor's own site this month. One of them is ours. It doesn't win most categories, and we say so.
Disclosure: SpellCrush is our product. It is listed last and gets the same treatment as everyone else. Prices and features were checked against each vendor's own website on 29 September 2026. Where we couldn't confirm something, the table says so. No app paid to be here and there are no affiliate links.
Spelling Apps Compared: Price, Ages and Platforms
Home prices as shown on each vendor's site on 29 September 2026, in the currency they publish. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
| App | Price (home) | Free option | Ages | Platforms | Spelling / curriculum | Your own lists | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpellingJoy | Free · optional SpellingJoy+ $2.99/mo (printables) | Games, tests, 134+ lists, custom lists, classes | K–6 (5–12) | Web, iOS, Android | US | Yes, free | Text-to-speech |
| Spelling Shed | £66.50/yr (UK) · A$74.99/yr (AU) parent plan | Free account, 7 days of history | Primary (6-stage scheme) | Web, iOS, Android (app plays offline) | Separate UK, AU and US schemes | Yes | Yes |
| Squeebles Spelling Connect | £2.99/mo · £29.99/yr (up to 4 children) | 7-day trial | Primary | iOS, Android, Windows | UK-developed | Yes | Record your own voice |
| DoodleSpell | £7.99/mo · £69.99/yr (1 child) · family £12.99/mo | 7-day trial | 5–11 | Web, iOS, Android, offline | UK (EYFS, KS1, KS2) | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Nessy Reading & Spelling | From $15.50/mo | Free trial | 6–11 | Web (Chrome, iPad 5 or newer) | UK-developed; US site | Not confirmed | Yes |
| SpellQuiz | $12.95/mo · $120/yr (extra child $3/mo) | Free plan, no card | Grades 1–12 and adults | Web | North American audio | Not confirmed | Recorded voice artists |
| SpellMe | Free to start | Yes | Not stated | Browser (desktop, iOS, Android) | Not stated | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Khan Academy Kids | Free (no ads, no subscription) | Everything | 2–8 | iOS, Android, Amazon | US | No | Yes (narrated) |
| SpellCrush (ours) | $4.99/mo · $49.99/yr (7-day trial) | 1 child, 500+ words, games, level check | Pre-K–12 (4–18) | Web (phone, tablet, computer) | US, UK, AU, CA per child | Premium, incl. photo/PDF scan | Recorded AI voices (4) |
Our Picks by Need
Best free spelling app (ages 5–12)
Games, tests, custom lists and teacher classes are all free, and it now has iOS and Android apps.
Also consider: Khan Academy Kids for ages 2–8.
Best for dyslexia
Built by dyslexia specialists as a sequenced structured-literacy programme, not a drill app.
Also consider: SpellMe as a calm, free option for practice.
Best for the UK curriculum
216 lessons over six stages mapped to the National Curriculum; £66.50/yr for up to 5 children.
Also consider: Squeebles at £29.99/yr if you only need the weekly list.
Best for the Australian curriculum
It has a separate Australian scheme aligned to Australian Curriculum 9.0; A$74.99/yr.
Also consider: SpellCrush for Australian spellings in a free plan.
Best for spelling bees
Words read by voice artists, graded through high school, plus an online bee.
Also consider: SpellCrush's free Spelling Bee Generator for printable K–8 lists.
Best for classrooms
Leagues, assignments and rostering through Clever, ClassLink and Wonde.
Also consider: SpellingJoy if the budget is zero.
Best free spelling level check
A 15-word adaptive test with a grade recommendation, and no account needed.
Best for practising the school's paper list
Photograph the worksheet and the words become spoken practice, tests and games (Premium; included in the 7-day trial).
Also consider: Squeebles if you'd rather record the words in your own voice.
Best Spelling Apps for Kids in the UK and Australia
United Kingdom
Three of the apps here are British and follow the National Curriculum. Spelling Shed is the one to pick if you want home practice to match a school scheme: six stages, 216 lessons, £66.50 a year for up to five children. DoodleSpell suits a child who does best with a short daily routine and costs £7.99 a month for one child, with grammar included. Squeebles Spelling Connect is the cheapest (£29.99 a year for four children) if all you need is the Friday list tested at home. For children with dyslexia, Nessy was developed in Bristol.
Australia
Australian spelling mostly follows British spelling (colour, organise, centre), so UK apps are closer than American ones, but the year groups differ: a UK Year 3 child is about the age of an Australian Year 2 child. Spelling Shed is the only app here that we found with a scheme written for the Australian Curriculum (9.0), at A$74.99 a year. SpellCrush lets you set Australian spellings per child on the free plan and has free Australian spelling practice and Year 1–6 word lists, but its audio is one neutral English accent, not an Australian voice.
Free UK and Australian year-group lists: Year 1 · Year 2 · Year 3 · Year 4 · Year 5 · Year 6 · British spelling practice
The Apps in Detail
Not in ranking order. Each review ends with what we checked and how, so you can weigh the evidence yourself.
SpellingJoy
Best free all-rounder for ages 5–12
SpellingJoy gives away what most apps charge for: unlimited spelling games and tests, 134+ curriculum-aligned word lists, pasting in your own list, progress tracking and teacher classes with join codes. Since our February check it has added iPhone, iPad and Android apps with class-code login, and an optional SpellingJoy+ subscription ($2.99/month) for extra printable packs. The core practice is still free.
Strengths
- +Core practice is genuinely free: no card, no child limit
- +Paste in the school's weekly list at no cost
- +Free teacher classes with join codes
- +Now on iOS and Android as well as the web
Weaknesses
- –Stops at 6th grade
- –Words are read by text-to-speech, not recordings
- –The site doesn't say whether British or Australian spellings are supported
- –Light on rewards compared with game-first apps
Best for:
Families and teachers who want solid K–6 spelling practice and don't want to pay.
What we checked: SpellingJoy's homepage and feature list on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
Spelling Shed
Best for UK and Australian curriculum, and for classrooms
Spelling Shed, from EdShed, is built around a written spelling scheme: 216 lessons over six stages covering the UK National Curriculum, with an Australian scheme that claims full coverage of Australian Curriculum 9.0 and a US site as well. Children play the spelling game on the web or in the app, which works offline and syncs scores later, and classes compete in leagues. A parent account covers up to five children. The home price is annual only: £66.50 on the UK site and A$74.99 on the Australian site. The US site doesn't publish one.
Strengths
- +The most complete curriculum-mapped scheme here, for both the UK and Australia
- +Leagues and weekly hive games that competitive children respond to
- +Parent plan covers up to 5 children
- +Dyslexia-friendly OpenDyslexic font in the game
- +Classroom plans add Clever, ClassLink and Wonde rostering
Weaknesses
- –The free account keeps only 7 days of tests and game history
- –Home plan is annual only; there is no monthly option on the parent pages
- –US home pricing isn't published; you see it at sign-up
- –Aimed at primary-school ages
Best for:
UK and Australian families who want homework to line up with the school's scheme, and teachers who want leagues and rostering.
What we checked: Spelling Shed's UK, AU and US parent pages and pricing table, and EdShed's support articles, on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
Squeebles Spelling Connect
Best budget pick for a family's own weekly list
Squeebles is a long-running UK series of small learning apps. Spelling Connect is the newer, subscription version of its spelling test app: a parent or teacher enters the week's words, and the child is tested on them inside a game. The feature the developer itself highlights is that you can record your own voice reading each word, so the child hears the words the way their teacher says them. The family plan is £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year for up to four children.
Strengths
- +Cheapest paid option here per child
- +Record your own audio for each word
- +Built around the list your school sends home
- +Runs on iOS, Android and Windows
Weaknesses
- –You do the setup: type or record each list
- –No built-in curriculum or level check
- –Priced in pounds; no web version on the pricing page
Best for:
UK families on a budget who just want the school's weekly list practised properly.
What we checked: The developer's Spelling Connect pricing page on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
DoodleSpell
Best for short daily sessions on a UK plan
DoodleSpell builds an adaptive programme of short exercises for each child and is sold together with DoodleEnglish (grammar, punctuation and comprehension). One child costs £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year. A family plan for two to six children costs £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year. The four-app DoodleBundle (adding maths and times tables) is £12.99/£119.99 for one child or £16.99/£159.99 for a family. It is aligned to EYFS, KS1 and KS2 and works offline.
Strengths
- +Adaptive daily programme; little for a parent to set up
- +Spelling and English grammar in one subscription
- +Family plan covers up to 6 children
- +Works offline on tablets and phones
Weaknesses
- –One child costs more per year than Spelling Shed's 5-child plan
- –No free tier after the 7-day trial
- –UK curriculum only
- –Stops at age 11
Best for:
UK families who want a structured daily routine and don't want to manage word lists themselves.
What we checked: DoodleLearning's parent pricing page and DoodleSpell page on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
Nessy Reading & Spelling
Best for dyslexia
Nessy was developed at the Bristol Dyslexia Centre and follows Structured Literacy: 100+ lessons from phonics through advanced vocabulary, a placement assessment that sets each child's starting point, 1,000+ printable worksheets and progress reports for parents. It teaches reading and spelling together. It is a programme to work through rather than a place to practise this week's list, and it is priced accordingly, from $15.50 a month.
Strengths
- +Built by dyslexia specialists on structured-literacy principles
- +Placement assessment picks the starting lesson
- +Reading and spelling taught together
- +Large printable worksheet library
Weaknesses
- –Expensive: from $15.50 a month
- –A programme to work through, not a quick way to practise this week's list
- –Runs in the browser; the vendor recommends Chrome
Best for:
Children with dyslexia or a clear phonics gap who need a sequenced programme, not more drill.
What we checked: Nessy's home product page and pricing on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
SpellQuiz
Best for spelling bees and older learners
SpellQuiz is dictation-first: every word is read by professional North American voice artists rather than text-to-speech. It has graded lessons for grades 1–12, sight words and adults, a vocabulary diagnostic, and an online spelling bee you can enter. Premium is $12.95 a month or $120 a year, and extra children cost $3 a month or $10 a year.
Strengths
- +Human recordings, not synthetic voices
- +Covers high school and adults, including ESL learners
- +Online spelling bee competition
- +Cheap to add extra children
Weaknesses
- –One of the pricier monthly plans
- –Quiz-style; little game layer for younger children
- –North American audio only
Best for:
Bee contestants, older students and ESL learners who need to hear words said clearly.
What we checked: SpellQuiz's feature page on 29 September 2026. Its pricing page loads prices in the browser; the figures are the ones that page shows in search results on the same date. Vendor site
SpellMe
Best free, low-pressure option for learning differences
SpellMe is a small, deliberately plain spelling app built for learners with learning differences. Instead of a generic 'wrong', its feedback targets the letters a child missed, and it tracks accuracy and improvement over time. You can use its curated lists or add your own. It is free to start and runs in any browser.
Strengths
- +Feedback points at the exact letters that went wrong
- +Calm, uncluttered screen
- +Custom lists alongside curated ones
- +Free to start
Weaknesses
- –Small, young product
- –Ages and spelling variant aren't stated
- –We couldn't confirm the dyslexia font on today's site
Best for:
Anxious or easily overwhelmed spellers who need calm, specific feedback.
What we checked: SpellMe's homepage on 29 September 2026. Earlier write-ups (ours included) described an OpenDyslexic font; the current homepage doesn't mention it, so we no longer claim it. Vendor site
Khan Academy Kids
Best free app for ages 2–8
Khan Academy Kids is a free early-learning app from the non-profit Khan Academy, with no ads and no subscription. Spelling is one strand of a broader early literacy, reading, writing and maths curriculum, so it's a spelling app only in the loose sense: good for letter sounds and first words, not for a Year 4 spelling list.
Strengths
- +Completely free, no ads, from a non-profit
- +Narrated, so pre-readers can use it alone
- +Covers phonics, reading and maths too
Weaknesses
- –Not a dedicated spelling trainer
- –Stops at age 8
- –No way to add your own word lists that we could find
Best for:
Preschool to 2nd grade, as a first step before a spelling app.
What we checked: Khan Academy's Kids page on 29 September 2026. Vendor site
SpellCrush (ours)
Best for a free level check and for turning a photographed list into practice
SpellCrush is a web app for practising spelling at home. The free plan covers one child with 500+ words, adaptive difficulty, AI visual memory aids, progress tracking and rewards. Premium ($4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial) adds unlimited children, 4,000+ words, AI spelling hints, weekly AI progress reports, custom word lists, and scanning a list from a photo or PDF. Spellings follow American, British, Australian or Canadian English, set per child. The audio uses one neutral accent for all four, and children choose one of four narrators (King, Queen, Prince, Princess).
Strengths
- +Free level check with no account: 15 words, then a grade recommendation
- +Photograph or upload the school's list and it becomes spoken practice
- +Widest age range here, Pre-K through 12th grade
- +US, UK, AU and CA spellings set per child, on every plan
- +OpenDyslexic font and tinted overlays per child, free on every plan
- +Free browser spelling games and a spelling bee list generator
Weaknesses
- –Web only: no native app and no offline play
- –Custom lists, scanning and AI hints need Premium
- –No written curriculum scheme like Spelling Shed's or Nessy's
- –One neutral accent for all variants, not an Australian or British voice
- –Free plan is limited to one child
Best for:
Parents who want to know their child's level before paying anything, and families whose school sends home a paper list each week.
What we checked: It's our product, so we know how it works from the inside. The free assessment asks for a first name and a spelling variant, then reads out 15 words that get harder, and ends with a grade recommendation. No account is needed until you want to save the result. Vendor site
Where SpellCrush Wins, and Where It Doesn't
Pick it for
- A free spelling level check with no account: 15 words, then a grade recommendation.
- Scanning the school's list from a photo or PDF into spoken practice (Premium, in the trial).
- Printable spelling bee lists for K–8 with IPA and etymology (free account).
- Free browser spelling games with no download.
Pick something else for
- A curriculum scheme to follow week by week: Spelling Shed.
- Dyslexia intervention: Nessy. We have free dyslexia settings (OpenDyslexic font, tinted overlays), but not a structured-literacy programme.
- Offline play or a native app: Spelling Shed, DoodleSpell or Squeebles.
- A completely free plan for several children: SpellingJoy.
Younger Than 5? What to Look For
Most of the apps above assume a child who can already read. For ages 3–5 that assumption breaks: a pre-reader can hear cat and know what it means, but cannot read the instruction telling them to spell it. Apps built for this age drop reading entirely. The word is spoken aloud, and the child drags letter tiles into place rather than typing.
Three things worth checking before you install anything for a preschooler: no ads or in-app upsells shown to the child, no account or data collection (Apple's App Store privacy label should read Data Not Collected), and offline play so screen time isn't open-ended browsing.
Khan Academy Kids (above) is the free, broad option. A spelling-specific example is SpellBunny: iOS, free to download, with the Farm Friends and Pets word packs included and further themed packs sold as one-time purchases (a $9.99 Super Pack bundles them). The app launched recently and its catalogue is still expanding, so check the current packs and prices on the App Store listing. SpellCrush itself starts at Pre-K (age 4) but expects typing, so it suits the older end of this range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free spelling app for kids?
SpellingJoy, for ages 5–12: its games, tests, custom lists and teacher classes are all free, and it now has iOS and Android apps. For ages 2–8, Khan Academy Kids is free with no ads, though spelling is only one part of it. SpellCrush's free plan covers one child with 500+ words, and its level check and browser games need no account.
What is the best spelling app for kids in the UK?
Spelling Shed, if you want homework to follow the National Curriculum: 216 lessons over six stages, £66.50 a year for up to five children. Squeebles Spelling Connect is the budget pick at £29.99 a year for up to four children, built around the list your school sends home. DoodleSpell suits families who want a structured daily routine with grammar included, from £7.99 a month.
What is the best spelling app for kids in Australia?
Spelling Shed has a separate Australian scheme aligned to Australian Curriculum 9.0, at A$74.99 a year. SpellCrush lets you set Australian spellings per child on its free plan, though its audio uses one neutral accent rather than an Australian voice. Most other apps here are either US-only or follow the UK curriculum.
What is the best spelling app for kids with dyslexia?
Nessy Reading & Spelling, developed at the Bristol Dyslexia Centre on structured-literacy principles, from $15.50 a month. SpellMe is a calm, free option whose feedback points at the exact letters a child missed. Spelling Shed uses the OpenDyslexic font in its game, and SpellCrush has a free per-child OpenDyslexic font and tinted overlays.
What is the best app for spelling bee practice?
SpellQuiz: its words are read by professional voice artists, it covers grades 1–12, and it runs an online spelling bee. For printable practice lists, SpellCrush's free Spelling Bee Generator builds K–8 lists with IPA pronunciation, definitions and etymology.
Which spelling apps work offline?
Spelling Shed's app plays offline and syncs scores later, and DoodleSpell works offline on its apps. Khan Academy Kids and Squeebles are installed apps. SpellCrush, SpellQuiz, SpellMe and Nessy run in the browser and need a connection.
Which spelling app is best for several children?
SpellingJoy is free for any number of children. Spelling Shed's parent plan covers up to 5 and Squeebles up to 4. DoodleSpell's family plan covers 2–6. SpellCrush Premium has no limit on children, and SpellQuiz adds children for $3 a month.
What happened to SpellingCity?
VocabularySpellingCity is now Vocabulary A-Z, a classroom product from Learning A-Z, and its old membership pages redirect there. We couldn't reach a published price on the vendor's site in September 2026, so it's no longer in our comparison table. For families, SpellingJoy is the closest free replacement.
How We Compared
First published February 2026, fully re-checked on 29 September 2026. Every price, platform and feature in the table comes from the vendor's own website on that date: pricing pages, parent pages and help articles. We did not rely on other review sites for any figure. Where a vendor doesn't publish something, such as Spelling Shed's US home price, or where we couldn't confirm it, we say so instead of guessing. Each review ends with a note of what we checked.
What changed in this update: Spelling Shed's home price (now an annual plan of £66.50 / A$74.99), its Australian Curriculum scheme (our earlier claim that SpellCrush was the only app with Australian spelling was wrong), SpellingJoy's new mobile apps and SpellingJoy+ tier, DoodleSpell's family plan, SpellQuiz's yearly price and per-child add-on, and SpellCrush's own details (the free plan has 500+ words, not 4,000+, and the earlier table wrongly said it had no dyslexia support). We added Nessy, Squeebles and Khan Academy Kids, and dropped Vocabulary A-Z from the table (see the FAQ).
SpellBunny, in the pre-reader section, was suggested to us by its developer rather than sourced by us. We received no compensation, promotional codes, or reciprocal links for mentioning it, and the link to it is nofollowed. Its App Store privacy label was checked against Apple's listing in August 2026; its pack contents and pricing are as stated by the developer at that date.
SpellCrush is our own product. We included it because an honest comparison should include every relevant option, and we recommend it only where it wins. Prices change; check the vendor's site before you buy.
Check Your Child's Level First
Whichever app you choose, it helps to know where your child starts. Our free spelling assessment takes about five minutes and needs no account. If you then want to practise with SpellCrush, the free plan covers one child with 500+ words; Premium is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year after a 7-day trial.
Comparing two apps head to head? See our one-on-one comparisons.
