Overview

SpellMe is an online spelling-practice app for learners working at home or in classrooms. It suits families and teachers who want customizable lists alongside structured practice and progress tracking. Its free tier is a useful starting point, but larger lists, adaptive practice and classroom tools depend on a paid or teacher account.

Key features

Practice modes and word lists

Regular, Mastery and Story modes give learners different ways to practise, but the free Basic plan includes only Regular Mode. Mastery Mode adjusts difficulty as performance changes, which may help keep practice focused; hints can target letters a learner misses. Story Mode is reserved for Premium and Teacher Premium.

Learners can use custom lists or, once registered, choose from a curated library of more than 300 phonics lists, as well as festive lists. Basic permits five lists of up to 10 words each. That is enough for a small set of topics, but restrictive for a household or class managing multiple learners and larger vocabularies. Guest users can create one list of up to five words, and their progress stays on that device.

Progress, teaching and AI tools

A dashboard tracks accuracy and word mastery. Advanced adds more progress tracking, while teacher accounts include classroom management, student monitoring and a dedicated dashboard. Teacher Premium adds Story Mode and Smart Hints; its full classroom progress reports are marked as coming soon, so they should not be treated as an available capability.

Premium bundles Smart Spelling Hints, image-based list generation, automatically created lists and AI progress summaries. These tools can reduce setup and review work for a learner or teacher, but are not part of Basic or Advanced. Phonics instruction, dictation and corrective practice round out the learning tools.

Pricing

SpellMe is freemium, with a 14-day free trial on Advanced and Premium. Basic costs 0.00 GBP per free and includes Regular Mode, five lists capped at 10 words apiece, and the curated phonics library. It is the sensible no-cost option for short, straightforward practice, but lacks Mastery and the larger list capacity needed for more extensive use.

Advanced costs 12.00 GBP per year, billed £12/year. It lifts the list-count cap, allows up to 20 words per list, and adds Mastery Mode and advanced progress tracking. This is the better fit for an individual learner who needs adaptive practice but does not need Story Mode or Premium's AI tools.

Premium costs 20.00 GBP per year, billed £20/year. It allows 100+ words per list and includes Story Mode, Smart Spelling Hints, image-to-list generation, Smart Progress Summary and automatic list creation. The price difference over Advanced makes sense for users who will benefit from longer lists and those tools; otherwise, Advanced covers the core upgrade.

Teacher Advanced and Teacher Premium have custom pricing. Teacher Advanced includes Regular and Mastery modes, unlimited lists, student progress tracking, a teacher dashboard and easy classroom login. Teacher Premium includes those features plus Story Mode, Smart Hints and the forthcoming full classroom progress reports. The teacher plans are aimed at classroom use rather than a single learner, but their custom pricing makes direct cost comparison unavailable.

Platforms

SpellMe supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. It is a web app that requires an internet connection, so it is not a choice for offline practice. Guest settings and game data are stored locally and are not sent to SpellMe servers; Google Analytics cookies activate only with consent.

Who it's for

SpellMe is best suited to students, parents, homeschoolers and teachers who want spelling practice built around custom or curated lists, with progress visibility. Basic fits occasional practice with modest lists; Advanced suits an individual learner ready for adaptive work; Premium is stronger for learners or educators needing longer lists and automated tools. Classrooms should consider a teacher plan, while anyone needing offline access should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros

Tiered practice modes let individual learners move from Regular practice to adaptive Mastery and Story activities as their plan allows.
More than 300 curated phonics lists provide a starting point when creating every list from scratch is impractical.
Teacher accounts include classroom management and student progress monitoring, addressing needs beyond individual practice.
Premium's image-based list generation and automatic list creation can cut list-preparation work.

Cons

Basic caps users at five lists of 10 words and excludes Mastery and Story, limiting its usefulness for broad or adaptive practice.
Guest access is narrower still: one five-word list, with progress saved locally on the device.
The app requires internet access, ruling it out for offline spelling sessions.
Teacher plans use custom pricing, so schools cannot compare their cost from a fixed annual price.

Alternatives

Spelling Apps is a broader category to browse if SpellMe's plan structure or online-only requirement does not fit.

Choose Spelling Boost if Android is your target and you want audio dictation tests, custom lists, handwriting input and progress tracking in a free plan.

PenPoints is another free Android and iOS option for learners and teachers.

Spelling Shed may suit users who want Android, iOS and web access with a free tier covering tests, games, challenges, custom leagues and classroom rostering, each with seven days of history.

Spelling.Live uses credits rather than SpellMe's annual tiers; its free sign-up credits expire after 90 days without a practice session, so it may suit those who prefer credit-based access.

Spell Up is another freemium option for Android, iOS and web.

Better Speller may be a better fit for Apple-device users who want a free trial with up to 35 words and all features included, then a one-time iCloud Sync and Sharing purchase for 2.99 USD.

DoodleSpell is worth considering for schools seeking a paid school subscription with a quote or demo offered.

MySpellings is an Android alternative with a free plan and a one-off Premium unlock.

Verdict

SpellMe is a strong fit for families and educators who want flexible spelling lists, visible progress and a clear path from basic drills to adaptive practice. Its best reason to choose is the combination of curated phonics material, tiered modes and classroom monitoring. Look elsewhere if offline access is essential, or if your classroom needs a published teacher-plan price before committing.

	SpellMe	Word Club
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	£1/mo	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows	Android, iOS
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Phonics instruction	Yes	—
Dictation practice	Yes	—
Corrective practice	Yes	—
Teacher dashboard	Yes	—
Offline access	No	Yes
Word-list import	Yes	—

SpellMe vs Word Club

SpellMe

Word Club