Spelling Practice in British English
Your child spells 'colour' at school. Their spelling app should too.
SpellCrush is the spelling practice app that uses correct British spellings and authentic British pronunciation. Not an American app with a workaround — proper dialect support built in.
Why Most Spelling Apps Don't Work for British Children
The most popular spelling apps are American. That creates real problems for families in the UK.
Wrong Spellings
Your child practises 'color' on the app, then writes it that way at school. Their teacher marks it wrong. The app taught the American spelling — and the National Curriculum expects the British one.
American Pronunciation
American TTS says 'erb' for herb, 'sked-yool' for schedule, and 'dans' for dance. Children absorb these pronunciations — and parents notice. A Mumsnet thread titled 'Kids with American accents' runs to hundreds of replies.
Manual Workarounds Only
Some apps let you record your own audio or build custom word lists. That means re-recording hundreds of words in your own voice. As one parent review put it: 'It will take you a while to re-record all the words here.'
British vs American Spelling: 25 Key Differences
These are the words that cause problems when British children use American spelling apps. SpellCrush shows the correct British spelling for every one of them.
| British English 🇬🇧 | American English 🇺🇸 | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| colour | color | -our / -or |
| favourite | favorite | -our / -or |
| honour | honor | -our / -or |
| behaviour | behavior | -our / -or |
| neighbour | neighbor | -our / -or |
| centre | center | -re / -er |
| metre | meter | -re / -er |
| theatre | theater | -re / -er |
| fibre | fiber | -re / -er |
| organise | organize | -ise / -ize |
| recognise | recognize | -ise / -ize |
| specialise | specialize | -ise / -ize |
| apologise | apologize | -ise / -ize |
| defence | defense | -ence / -ense |
| licence | license | -ence / -ense |
| travelling | traveling | doubled L |
| cancelled | canceled | doubled L |
| jewellery | jewelry | doubled L |
| programme | program | other |
| grey | gray | other |
| tyre | tire | other |
| cheque | check | other |
| catalogue | catalog | other |
| plough | plow | other |
| draught | draft | other |
British Pronunciation, Not American
SpellCrush generates audio with an authentic British accent. Here are words where the difference matters most.
How it works: SpellCrush uses AI voice generation with accent-specific instructions — non-rhotic pronunciation, broad A vowels, and natural British intonation. For words like 'herb' and 'lieutenant' where the difference is dramatic, explicit pronunciation overrides ensure accuracy.
Everything British Families Need
British English is just the starting point. SpellCrush is a full adaptive spelling platform.
British Spellings by Default
Select British English once. Every practice word uses the correct British spelling — colour, centre, favourite, organise. American-only spellings are excluded automatically.
Authentic British Pronunciation
AI-generated audio with a British accent for every word, definition, and hint. Your child hears 'bahth' for bath, 'shed-yool' for schedule, and 'herb' with the H sounded.
Adaptive Difficulty, Reception to Year 13
4,000+ words across 10 difficulty levels, automatically matched to your child's age. Struggled words return more often. Mastered words rotate out.
Upload School Spelling Lists
Import your child's weekly school word list via CSV or Excel. When assigned, practice pulls exclusively from that list — directly aligned with their teacher's expectations.
Gamification That Works
XP, 10 levels, 15 achievement badges, daily streaks, and a parent-controlled reward store. Children stay motivated. Parents stay in control.
Whole-Family Accounts
Each child gets their own profile, PIN login, progress tracking, and dialect setting. Unlimited children on the Premium plan.
AI Spelling Hints
When your child struggles, Claude AI generates a personalised memory hint tailored to their age and mistakes. Cached after first use for instant loading.
AI Visual Memory Aids
Every word gets an AI-generated image — a vivid visual association that helps your child remember both meaning and spelling.
Set Up British English in 30 Seconds
Create your free account
Sign up at spellcrush.fun — no credit card required.
Add your child
Enter their name, age, and select 'British English' from the language dropdown.
Start practising
Your child sees British spellings, hears British pronunciation, and earns XP from the first word.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SpellCrush use British English spellings like colour and centre?
Yes. When you select British English for your child's profile, SpellCrush shows the correct British spellings — colour, centre, favourite, organise, and all other -our, -re, and -ise words. American-only spellings like 'color' and 'center' are automatically excluded from practice.
Does SpellCrush use a British accent for pronunciation?
Yes. SpellCrush generates audio pronunciation with an authentic British English accent for every word, definition, and hint. The system uses accent-specific AI voice generation — not an American voice reading British words. Non-rhotic R, broad A vowels in words like bath and dance, and natural British intonation.
Is British English a free or premium feature?
Completely free. Every plan — including the free plan — supports British English. There is no paywall for dialect selection, pronunciation, or British-specific spellings.
Does SpellCrush align with the National Curriculum?
SpellCrush's word database covers Reception through Year 13 with 4,000+ words across 10 difficulty levels, automatically matched to your child's age. While words are not explicitly mapped to National Curriculum year-group expectations or phonics screening check content, the difficulty progression covers the spelling patterns taught across KS1, KS2, and KS3. Parents can also upload school spelling lists directly.
How do I switch my child to British English?
When creating or editing a child's profile in your parent dashboard, select 'British English' from the language dropdown. The change takes effect immediately — the next practice session will use British spellings and pronunciation.
What British spelling patterns does SpellCrush cover?
All major British English conventions: -our endings (colour, favour, honour), -re endings (centre, metre, theatre), -ise endings (organise, recognise, specialise), -ence endings (defence, licence as a noun), doubled consonants (travelling, cancelled, jewellery), and other differences (programme, catalogue, grey, tyre, cheque). Words identical across all English variants appear in every mode.
Can different children in my family use different English variants?
Yes. Language is set per child, not per account. If you have a child in a British school and another following an American curriculum, each gets the correct spellings independently.
Give Your Child Spelling Practice That Matches Their School
British spellings. British pronunciation. Adaptive difficulty. Gamification that keeps children coming back. Free to start — no credit card required.
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