1st Grade Spelling Games
First grade is when spelling turns into patterns. Our 1st grade list covers short-vowel words (map, pin, mud), blends like fr and st, the digraphs ch, sh and th, magic-e words where a silent e makes the vowel say its name (cake, bike, home), and the 41 Dolch first grade sight words. Each game below reads a word aloud and asks for its letters, so the patterns get used, not just seen.
Ages 6–7FreeNo sign-upNo adsRead aloud
Games that play the 1st grade list
Sound Catcher
Phonics · Ages 4–6
Start with first sounds. The middle-vowel mode, where map shows as m _ p and your child taps the missing vowel, is made for the short-vowel words on this list.
Word Scramble
Tap & drag · Ages 4–14
Blends and digraphs only work in the right order, so dragging s, h, i, p back into ship, or f, r, o, g into frog, is exactly the skill.
Splat Attack
Whack-a-mole · Ages 5+
A magic-e word ends in a letter you can't hear. Hearing cake and smashing c, a, k, e in order makes your child remember the silent e.
Spell Runner
Endless arcade · Ages 5+
Hop the bunny meets word walls with a letter missing; your child taps the right one to smash through. Short 1st grade words keep the walls coming quickly.
Spell Cast
Spelling RPG · Ages 6+
The one typing game here: hear a word, spell it on the on-screen keyboard, and a spell flies. A wrong letter just fizzles, so it's a safe first try at typing whole words.
Spelling Quiz
Pick the spelling · Ages 5+
Dolch words like could, every and know can't be sounded out. The quiz says each one and your child taps the right spelling.
What's on the 1st grade list
Six groups, from the sight words through the phonics patterns first graders are taught in order: short vowels, then blends and digraphs, then magic e.
Dolch first grade sight words
41 wordsafteragaincouldeveryknowthank…
Short-vowel CVC words
15 wordscatbedpinhotcup…
Consonant blends
15 wordsblackclapfrogstepswim…
Digraphs: ch, sh, th, wh, ng
15 wordschinshipthatwhensing…
Magic-e words
20 wordscakebikehomeropecute…
Words ending in -all, -ell, -ill
18 wordsballtallbellhillfull…
Questions parents ask
Do 1st graders need to type?
Not unless they're ready. Five of the six games are tap, drag or smash. Spell Cast is the only one with a keyboard, and its on-screen keys mean your child never has to hunt around a laptop keyboard.
My 1st grader mixes up short vowels. Which game helps?
Sound Catcher's middle-vowel mode. Short e and short i are the classic mix-up at this age (pen and pin sound close), and a mode that asks only for the vowel isolates exactly that sound.
Are the Dolch first grade sight words in the games?
Yes. They open our 1st grade list, so they turn up in the games alongside the phonics words. To practice sight words on their own, the sight word games page plays the Dolch First Grade list by itself.
How often should a 1st grader play?
Little and often: ten minutes on four or five days beats an hour on Saturday. Sticking with one game for a week also helps, because once the rules are familiar, all the effort goes into the words.
Save your 1st grader's progress
Guests get three Spell Cast runs a day. A free account removes that limit, saves the spellbook and best run, and gives your child a profile with progress tracking and rewards.
Create a free accountNo credit card. The games stay free either way.