The Best Spelling Apps for Kids (UK Parent's Guide, 2026)
For most children practising at home, our pick is SpellCast: adaptive daily practice, every word read aloud in a sentence, dyslexia-friendly, and free to start. We build it, so we will also be straight about the cases where a different app fits your child better. This guide walks through both.
Most "best spelling app" lists are adverts in disguise, so here is the honest version, including the part where one of the apps is ours. For most primary children practising at home, our pick is SpellCast. Below we say why, and we are clear about the cases where a different app would serve your child better.
This guide is for a parent choosing for one child at home. If you are a teacher choosing for a class, the priorities are different (pricing, classroom controls, admin), and we have a separate guide to spelling apps for UK primary schools.
Our pick: SpellCast
Yes, we're biased: we created SpellCast. But we created it for a reason. We felt children were being let down by the apps already out there. SpellCast turns your child's year-group words into short, game-like sessions they will actually open. Three things make it our pick for most families:
- Adaptive daily practice. It brings back the words your child gets wrong at spaced intervals, automatically, so each session works on what has not stuck yet instead of re-testing words they already know. You can set your own weekly list, or let the curriculum lists drive it, and if your child's school uses SpellCast the teacher's list flows through too.
- Built for children who find spelling hard, not just confident spellers. Every word is read aloud in a sentence, there is an OpenDyslexic font option, and there are no leaderboards or timers by default, so a child who usually shuts down under pressure can still succeed.
- It starts free. A single class is free forever if your child's school signs up, and the family plan is a few pounds a month, the cheapest of the main names, with a free trial first and no school login needed.
And the practice works. In our own data (182 children, 25,534 practice attempts over five weeks), accuracy on a given word rose from 66% on the first try to 81% by the fifth, as SpellCast brought each word back at spaced intervals. That is our own study rather than an independent trial, but the sample is real, and it is the spaced-practice effect the science of spelling predicts.
It is a newer app than the big suites, and for formal, rule-by-rule dyslexia teaching a specialist still leads. We cover that case below. Try a sample round free to see how it feels.
The main options at a glance
| App | Best for | Reads each word aloud | Adaptive practice | Add your own list | Cost to start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpellCast | Children who find spelling hard or who have switched off | Yes, natural voices and accents, in a sentence | Yes | Yes, by parent or school | Free for a class; family plan from a few £/month |
| Spelling Shed (EdShed) | A child whose school already uses it | Yes | Some | Yes | Via school, or home plan |
| DoodleSpell | Families already in the Doodle ecosystem | Yes | Yes | No, it sets the words | Free trial, then per child |
| Spellzone | A diagnosed difficulty needing structured teaching | Yes | Light | Yes | Free trial, then subscription |
| Nessy | A dyslexic child needing a multisensory programme | Yes | Set programme | No, it follows a set programme | Free trial, then subscription |
Home access and pricing change often, so check each provider's website before you subscribe. The rest of this guide explains how to read the table for your own child.
How do I choose a spelling app for my child?
Five things separate an app your child improves with from one that ends up forgotten on the home screen. Run any shortlist past these before you pay.
- Curriculum match. It should teach the words your child's year group is actually covering, ideally the statutory National Curriculum word lists (English Appendix 1), so home practice and school pull the same way.
- Will they keep using it? The best app is the one your child returns to. For most primary children that means a game wrapped around the practice, not a worksheet on a screen.
- The right kind of practice. Spelling sticks when it is spaced out, tied to meaning, and built on retrieval, where your child produces the word, rather than recognition, where they just see it and confirm it. We explain why in the science of spelling. Plenty of apps quietly settle for the recognition version, which is easier to build but does less.
- Independence. Clear audio that reads each word, ideally in a sentence, means your child can practise without you sitting beside them dictating.
- Accessibility. If your child finds standard text hard to read, look for a dyslexia-friendly font option such as OpenDyslexic, alongside that clear audio, so reading the screen is never the barrier.
- Price and fit. Home subscriptions are usually a few pounds a month, and some apps (including SpellCast) start free. Check what you pay per child and whether you are locked into a long contract.
Which spelling app suits your child's situation?
SpellCast is our pick for most children, but a few situations point elsewhere. Find your child below.
If your child's school already uses one
Start here, because it is often the easiest win. If the school uses Spelling Shed or DoodleSpell and offers home access, using the same app keeps everything consistent. It is also worth asking whether the school would add SpellCast: a single class is free forever, so your child could use it both at school and at home at no cost. Ask the teacher what home access is already enabled before you pay for anything separate.
If your child finds spelling hard
First, work out why. If your child has lost confidence, or switches off the moment spelling appears, SpellCast is built for exactly that: no leaderboards or timers by default, every word read aloud in a sentence, an OpenDyslexic font option, and short sessions that reward effort rather than speed. A child who usually shuts down can succeed in it, which is often the thing that turns the corner.
If your child has a diagnosed difficulty such as dyslexia and needs structured, rule-by-rule multisensory teaching, a specialist leads on that part. Spellzone and Nessy both have a strong track record for specific learning difficulties and explicit dyslexia-friendly design, and they work best alongside the support the school puts in place. SpellCast pairs well with them as the practice a child enjoys. Our guide on dyslexia and spelling covers what else helps.
If your child has switched off and needs winning back
This is the most common situation parents describe: a child who has decided they are "bad at spelling" and resists practice. Here engagement is everything, and it is where SpellCast is built to shine. It turns your child's year-group words into short, gamey sessions with rewards and a character to build, the kind a child opens without being nagged. Every word is read aloud in a sentence, it works on any phone, and the family plan costs a few pounds a month with no school login needed. You can try a sample round free.
If you want to set your own word lists
Some parents want to type in this week's actual list from school. Not every app allows it: adaptive apps like DoodleSpell choose the words for you. SpellCast, Spelling Shed and Spellzone all let you add your own list. In SpellCast a parent adds their own words on top of the curriculum lists, and if the school uses SpellCast too, the teacher's class list shows up automatically. If your own list matters, check for that feature before subscribing.
Are free spelling apps any good?
You do not have to pay much, or anything. SpellCast is free for a whole class if your child's school signs up, and free to trial as a family. For practice without any app, our free spelling resources for parents are organised by year group with no login, and the free statutory word lists give you exactly what each year group is expected to learn. A paid plan earns its keep through motivation and the right kind of practice, not different content, so it is reasonable to start free and pay only once an app is getting used.
The bottom line
For most children at home, our pick is SpellCast: adaptive daily practice that brings back the words they get wrong, every word read aloud in a natural voice, an OpenDyslexic option, the cheapest of the group, and free to start. If your child's school already provides an app, begin with that. If they have a diagnosed difficulty and need structured rule teaching, choose a specialist like Spellzone or Nessy and let SpellCast be the practice they enjoy alongside it. Whatever you pick, the app matters less than whether your child uses it a little and often, so the real test is simple: a week in, are they still opening it?
Sources
- Department for Education, National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (English Appendix 1 sets the statutory spelling word lists apps should align to). gov.uk (retrieved 4 June 2026).
- App pricing and home-access details change often. Check each provider's website for current family or home options: EdShed/Spelling Shed, Doodle Learning, Spellzone, Nessy and SpellCast.