Spelling Apps (2026): 10 Apps for Tests, Games and Practice

Friday spelling tests have a way of sneaking up on families. One minute the list comes home in a book bag, the next it's Thursday night and nobody's looked at it.

The apps below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and each description comes from the provider's own website or app store listing, read this week. For the words that trip up adults too, my guide to commonly confused words and their spellings is worth bookmarking.

Spelling apps side by side

I checked the free plan column on each provider's own website or app store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page names the app, an account, a plan or a version of it as free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the page I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start or a store download button, so check the provider's own page before you sign up.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
ABC Spelling	Phonics and spelling game for young children	Young children learning letters and sounds	Yes
Beezone	Spelling coach app	Short spelling exercises for any age	Not stated
Spell It	Spelling test practice app	This week's homework list	Yes
Spell Write	Kids spelling app with an AI tutor	An AI tutor for each word	Not stated
Spelling Notebook	Personal word list app	Practising only the words you miss	Not stated
Spelling Shed	Word games and curriculum	Schools and classroom leagues	Not stated
Spelling Stars	Online spelling program	Weekly tests for younger grades	Trial only
SpellingTraining	Online spelling games	Sharing a class list online	Yes
SpellQuiz	Online spelling tests and lessons	Adaptive practice from grades one to twelve	Not stated
Spellzone	English spelling course	Older learners and adults improving spelling	Trial only

Ten spelling apps to practise with

ABC Spelling

Best for: Parents of young children who want a colourful game for learning the alphabet and sounding out words, with no ads or paywalls.

Beezone

Best for: Older learners and adults who want short, interactive spelling exercises that adapt to the words they keep getting wrong.

Spell It

Best for: Children and parents who want to type in this week's spelling words and turn them into practice they'll finish.

Spell Write

Best for: Families who want an AI-powered spelling tutor guiding children through words in a calm, ad-free environment at home or school.

Spelling Notebook

Best for: Pupils who want to build their own word list, hear each word spoken, test themselves and retest only the ones they missed.

Spelling Shed

Best for: Schools that want spelling games, ready-made word lists and leagues for classes, with a curriculum behind the games.

Spelling Stars

Best for: US families and classrooms who want spelling tests, games and practice from kindergarten upwards, with a short free trial.

SpellingTraining

Best for: Teachers of grades one to four who want free spelling training and games they can share with a class by link.

SpellQuiz

Best for: Students and teachers who want spelling, reading and pronunciation practice that adapts to each learner, with clear progress reports.

Spellzone

Best for: Older pupils and adults who want a full spelling course with word lists and worksheets for screen and paper.

Matching the app to the learner

• This week's school list: Spell It.
• Young children learning sounds: ABC Spelling.
• Whole-class games and leagues: Spelling Shed.
• Adults improving their spelling: Spellzone.
• Practising only the words you miss: Spelling Notebook.

What pupils are expected to learn in years 3 and 4

The Department for Education's English programmes of study say pupils in years 3 and 4 should be taught to spell further homophones, spell words that are often misspelt and use the first 2 or 3 letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary.

Apps are great for drilling tricky words and homophones, but that dictionary skill still needs practice away from the screen. Keep a children's dictionary nearby and ask them to look up one word from each practice session.

Games, test apps and full courses

Game-based apps keep young children practising for longer, which is half the battle. Test apps read words aloud and mark the answers, mirroring the weekly test and making Thursday night far calmer.

Full courses work through spelling rules and patterns in order. They suit older pupils, adults and anyone who wants to understand why a word's spelt the way it's spelt, not just memorise it.

A bigger word bank helps spelling too, and apps built for it are compared in a roundup of vocabulary apps.

A weekly routine for spelling tests

1. Add the new list to an app on the day it arrives.
2. Practise for five minutes a day rather than one long session.
3. Write each word by hand at least once.
4. Put tricky words into a sentence out loud.
5. Do a practice test the night before, then stop.

Younger children who are still learning to read can look at a roundup of reading apps for kids.

Spelling mistakes that keep coming back

• Homophones. There, their and they're need meaning, not just letters.
• Silent letters. Words like knight and island need extra repetition.
• Suffixes. Doubling or dropping letters follows rules worth learning.
• Unstressed vowels. Words like separate hide a letter you can't hear.

Do you make spelling apps, games or literacy tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on spelling apps

For a child with weekly tests, choose an app that lets you type in the school list and reads the words aloud. Five minutes a day beats an hour on Thursday night, and handwriting each word once makes the practice stick.

When the list is done, a little play goes a long way. My roundup of free games for kids to play offline with no ads is a good reward for a week of practice.

Frequently asked questions

Are there free spelling apps?

Several apps on this list name free practice or free use on their own page, so check the free plan column.

Can I add my child's school spelling list to an app?

Yes, some apps here let you type in your own list and turn it into practice and tests.

Do spelling apps work for adults?

Some are built for older learners and adults, with full courses that explain spelling rules.

How often should children practise spelling?

Little and often works best, such as five minutes a day across the week.

Are spelling apps good for dyslexic learners?

Some help with repetition and hearing words aloud, but specialist support from school matters too.

What spelling do pupils learn in years 3 and 4?

The national curriculum includes homophones, often misspelt words and checking spellings in a dictionary.