Spelling practice out loud
Paste this week's spelling list and press start. Your browser reads each word aloud, with your example sentence if you add one. Your child spells it out loud or on paper, you tap Got it or Not yet, and missed words come back sooner. Five minutes on four days beats an hour the night before the test.
Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac
Written by the Ask Poppy team, who make one of the tools mentioned here. The advice works with any AI, or none. We haven't run a controlled study of our own app.
Free, no account. Your browser's own voice reads each word; your child spells it. The list and answers aren't recorded or uploaded. Made by the Ask Poppy team.
A five-minute week before the spelling test
| What to do | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Read the list together. Your child sorts the words into "know it" and "tricky". Say each tricky word slowly and point to the hard bit (the "ie" in believe, the "a" in separate). | 5 min |
| Day 2 | Run the whole list here, out loud. Write down the words that needed another go. | 5 min |
| Day 3 | Only the tricky words: look, say, cover, write, check. Then put each one in a sentence out loud. | 5 min |
| Day 4 | Whole list again, this time "write it on paper". That is what the test will be. | 5 min |
| Test day | Nothing new. A quick look at the one or two words that still wobble. | 2 min |
Why from memory, and why spread out
Bringing a word back from memory strengthens it more than copying it out again (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006), and a few short sessions spread over the week beat one long one the night before (Cepeda et al., 2006). Hearing the word, then spelling it without seeing it, is closer to the real test than reading it off a sheet.
What school expects (England)
The National Curriculum lists 100 statutory words for Years 3 and 4 and another 100 for Years 5 and 6, "a mixture of words pupils frequently use in their writing and those which they often misspell" (English Appendix 1). The sample button above picks 10 from the Year 3 and 4 list. Your child's weekly school list comes first.
Practising other things out loud? Times tables out loud works the same way, and gloser does it for Norwegian vocabulary.
Where Ask Poppy fits
We make Ask Poppy, so weigh this accordingly. It's a voice-first thinking companion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A child holds to talk and Poppy speaks back; it asks what they already know and offers one hint at a time rather than leading with the answer. Parents can add up to three child profiles and open each child's conversations (children are told a parent can see them), and can switch Poppy's memory off for each child. It can look things up on the web and check national curriculum goals (fullest for Norway, Sweden and Finland; core subjects for England, France, Germany and Spain). Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store). It is designed not to hand over the answer, but like any AI it can slip, and it can make mistakes. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. The app works fully on its own.
Sources (checked 11 Nov 2026): National Curriculum in England: English Appendix 1, spelling (PDF) · Ask Poppy on the App Store. Ask Poppy facts are from the current app and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].
Want a voice helper for the rest of the homework? Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.
Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store prices) on iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)
Questions
How do I help my child learn their spelling words?
Little and often, from memory. Most days, read each word to them, let them spell it before they see it, and bring back the ones they miss sooner. Finish the week by writing the words, because most spelling tests are written.
Is it better to spell out loud or to write the words?
Both have a job. Spelling out loud is quick and works in the car or at the kitchen table. Writing is what the test asks for and it practises letter formation. A good week mixes them: out loud early in the week, on paper before the test.
Does this tool record my child?
No. Your browser's own voice reads the words. The list and your child's answers aren't recorded, uploaded or stored, and they disappear when you close the page. We only count that a practice was finished.
What spelling words should a Year 3 or Year 4 child know?
In England, the National Curriculum has a statutory list of 100 words for Years 3 and 4 (age 7 to 9), such as "believe", "different", "February" and "separate". Schools add their own weekly lists. In the US, spelling lists are set by the school or district.
How many spelling words should we practise at once?
Follow the school's list. Ten words at a time is plenty for a short session; if the list is longer, split it over two days.
Related
- Times tables out loud (free tool)
- Gloser: Norwegian vocabulary practice
- Reading homework: questions to ask after each page
- How to check homework without redoing it
- Homework on a tablet or on paper?
- How to help with homework without giving the answer
- Homework fights: a calmer 10-minute routine
- Guides on raising kids alongside AI