SpellSpot
A free picture spelling game. See a picture, spell the word, and move on when it's right. If a word is tricky, SpellSpot gives a little more help after each try, so nobody gets stuck.
Play SpellSpot
Quick facts
- Subject
- English spelling (British)
- Levels
- Nursery, Primary (Bands A–C), Secondary
- Round length
- 10 words (Nursery: 6)
- Timer
- None. Take your time.
- Plays on
- Phone, tablet, computer
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
How to play
- Choose your level: Nursery, Primary or Secondary. Primary players also choose a band (A, B or C).
- Look at the picture. The boxes under it show how many letters the word has. Tap Hear it to hear the word, if your device has an English voice.
- Spell the word. Nursery and Primary Band A use letter tiles. Primary Bands B and C use an A to Z keyboard, and Secondary uses a QWERTY keyboard. On a computer you can also type, using Backspace to delete and Enter to check.
- Tap Check. Capital letters and spaces don't matter. If the word is right, you earn stars and see the next picture. If not, you get some help and try again.
- See your results: your stars, how many words you spelled right first time, and the words to practise.
Levels
The levels follow Nigerian school stages. Ages are a guide, so start wherever feels right.
| Level | For | Words | Input |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery | Nursery and kindergarten, ages 3–5 | 3 letters, mostly short vowel words like cat, dog and sun | 5 letter tiles |
| Primary Band A | Primary 1–6, ages 6–11 | 4–5 letters: blends and digraphs like frog, ship and duck | Letter tiles |
| Primary Band B | Primary 1–6 | 5–6 letters: vowel teams and silent e like train, sheep and snake | A to Z keyboard |
| Primary Band C | Primary 1–6 | 6–8 letters: two syllables and double letters like rabbit and ladder | A to Z keyboard |
| Secondary | JSS 1 to SSS 3, ages 11–17 | 7 letters or more with a tricky part: silent letters, ph, rh, double letters. Each word has a one-line clue. | QWERTY keyboard |
Primary players start in Band A. Spell at least 8 of 10 words right first time and SpellSpot offers the next band; fewer than 4 and it offers the band below. You can change band on the start screen at any time.
How help works
There is no Skip button: every word ends spelled correctly. After each wrong try, you get a little more help.
- Keep what's right: letters in the right place stay, with a tick. The others clear so you can try again.
- A clue: the first letter is filled in and the word is spoken slowly. Secondary words also show a one-line clue.
- Look, cover, spell: the whole word shows for 3 seconds, then hides. Spell it from memory.
- Copy it: the word stays on screen and you copy it, one letter at a time.
Primary and Secondary players get each step after 1, 2, 3 and 4 wrong tries. Nursery players get the first two steps together after 1 wrong try, so they reach "copy it" after 3.
Words that needed the clue or more come back once at the end of the round. They are also saved as words to practise and come first next time you play, so you meet them again a day or two later.
Stars
Stars reward spelling without help, not speed. There is no timer.
| Result | Stars |
|---|---|
| Right first time | 3 |
| Right on the second try | 2 |
| Right after more help | 1 |
A round is worth up to 30 stars (Nursery: 18). Your best score for each level and band is saved on your device. There is no leaderboard.
Who it's for
- Nursery children matching letter sounds to 3-letter words, ideally with an adult nearby.
- Primary pupils practising blends, digraphs, vowel teams, silent e and double letters.
- Secondary students practising long words with silent letters, Greek patterns and double consonants.
- Parents and teachers looking for a free, no-sign-up spelling warm-up. SpellSpot is a practice game, not a full phonics or spelling programme.
SpellSpot uses British spelling, as taught in Nigerian schools. Words that are spelled differently in American English are left out, so no one is marked wrong for their country's spelling.
Accessibility: SpellSpot works with a keyboard and with screen readers, and it never uses a timer. Because it is built around pictures, blind players can only play where the spoken word and the clue are enough, mainly on the Secondary level.
Privacy
SpellSpot has no sign-up and no ads, and it doesn't ask for names, ages or school details. It saves your best stars, your Primary band, your words to practise and your sound setting on your device only, and nothing is sent anywhere. Use Reset my progress on the game's About screen to clear them.
"Hear it" uses your device's built-in voice. On some devices that voice works online through your browser maker.
Picture credits
Pictures are from Twemoji (opens in a new tab), by Twitter, Inc. and other contributors, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence (opens in a new tab).
Ready to spell?
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