MarcX Studio English
Six spelling apps side by side
Choosing a spelling app for your child’s own word list
Most spelling apps for kids come with their own word lists. If your child brings home a weekly list from school, the first question is simpler: can the app practice those exact words?
Free to start: 2 word lists of up to 100 words each. Pro: US$2.99/month, US$19.99/year or US$29.99 once (UK £2.99/£19.99/£29.99; Australia A$4.99/A$29.99/A$49.99).
Snap Spell
What makes a good spelling app for kids?
One that practices the words your child actually has to learn, in a way your child will keep using. Spelling Shed, SpellingCity, Quizlet, Spelling Stream, Spelly and Snap Spell all work with your own words in different ways. The table below compares how words get in, how practice works, and where each one runs.
Six questions to ask any spelling app
Try them with this week’s list rather than a sample list.
- 1 Can I add my own list, or only use the app’s built-in words?
- 2 How do words get in: typing only, or also photos, files, and pasted text?
- 3 Is each word read aloud clearly, at a speed my child can follow?
- 4 How are answers checked: typed, spoken, or written on paper?
- 5 Do missed words come back later without me keeping track?
- 6 Does it need an account, show ads, or need a device we do not have?
How Snap Spell answers them
Snap Spell was built for the first question, so the rest follow from it.
Your own list
Scan it, import a photo or file, paste it, or type it, and practice exactly those words.
Read aloud, then checked
Solo Test checks typed answers; Practice Together and Auto Dictation are for spoken or paper answers that you mark.
Missed words return
Tricky Words brings them back on later days, and the Weekly Report shows how the week went.
No account, no ads
Open it and add a list. Snap Spell runs on iPhone.
Paper, an app, or both?
Paper needs no setup and is the right choice when neat handwriting is the goal. An app reads the words so practice can happen without an adult, checks typed answers at once, and remembers which words were missed. Many families combine them: Auto Dictation reads the list and the child writes on paper.
Six spelling apps compared
Facts below come from each product’s own public pages, checked on 25 October 2026.
Sources: Spelling Shed · Spelling Shed on the App Store · VocabularySpellingCity · Quizlet study modes · Quizlet document scanning · Spelling Stream · Spelly · Snap Spell on the App Store
| App | How your words get in | How practice works | Where it runs and how it is offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spelling Shed | Parents can create weekly word lists, or follow a grade-level spelling curriculum. | Spelling lessons and spelling games, with progress tracking that shows which words a child often misspells. | iPhone and iPad app: US$2.99 on the US App Store. Subscriptions, including the spelling curriculum, are bought on the Spelling Shed website or come through a school. |
| VocabularySpellingCity | Teachers and parents can customize a list or pick from ready-made lists by subject and grade; each word’s definition and sample sentence can be edited. | Audio-driven games plus practice and final tests; Premium adds Review Lists built from words that needed more practice. | School and homeschool platform from Vocabulary A-Z; some games and record keeping are Premium. |
| Quizlet | Build your own set of terms, with images and audio. With Quizlet Plus, the iOS and Android apps can also scan a document into a set. | Flashcards with text-to-speech, plus Learn and Test modes. | Free to start; Quizlet Plus adds full access to Learn and Test. |
| Spelling Stream | Type the words, dictate them by voice, or photograph the list; record each word in your own voice. | Ten games, plus Practice, Final and Written tests; the Written test is a paper test the app reads aloud. A parent dashboard shows mastery for each word. | iPhone, iPad and Android. Free plan with one list; Pro adds more lists. |
| Spelly (spelly.net) | Type or paste words, have AI build a list on a topic, or photograph a printed or handwritten worksheet. | Five game modes: Type It, Multiple Choice, Build It, Fill the Gap and Matching. | Web, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a Chrome extension. Free to start; Premium is a one-time purchase. |
| Snap Spell | Scan the paper list, import a photo or screenshot, paste text, type it, or import a PDF, Word, Excel, CSV or text file; check the words before saving. | Auto Dictation reads each word 1, 2 or 3 times with 3 to 15 seconds between words while your child writes on paper, then Check Answers; Solo Test checks typed answers; Tricky Words brings missed words back. | iPhone app, no ads. Free for 2 lists of up to 100 words and 1 child profile; Pro adds more. |
Questions about choosing
Which of these apps can use the weekly list my child’s school sends?
All six let you enter your own words. Spelling Stream, Spelly and Snap Spell can also read them from a photo, and with Quizlet Plus the Quizlet iOS and Android apps can scan a document into a set; the table shows how each one takes words in. Snap Spell takes that weekly school list as a photo or file: photograph it, check the words, then use Auto Dictation or Solo Test.
What does Snap Spell cost?
Snap Spell is free to download with no ads. The free version holds 2 lists of up to 100 words and 1 child profile; Pro adds more lists and profiles, natural voices, printing and iCloud backup.
Do I need a separate app for each child?
No. One copy of Snap Spell holds all your lists, and with Pro each child gets a profile with separate progress.
Already have a spelling list to practice?
Download Snap Spell and try it with this week’s words.
Compare and get started
Add your own spelling list
Every way to get this week’s words into Snap Spell.
Snap Spell or Spelling Shed?
Your own list at home, or a curriculum with games and classes.
Snap Spell or VocabularySpellingCity?
Weekly list practice, or a school word-study platform.
Snap Spell or Word Club?
Your own bee list, or the official spelling bee word lists.