A real Australian voice
Every word is read out by a calm Australian voice, a little slower than ordinary speech so your child can hear each sound in the word. They can press play as often as they like, and hear the word inside a full sentence too.
📖 Spelling practice
Spelling words your child actually remembers.
Your child hears a word read out loud, types it in, and finds out what it means. The words they get wrong keep coming back until they stick. The ones they know go quiet.
4,529words to learn
13year levels, Foundation to Year 12
3things checked: spelling, meaning, use
It remembers what your child found hard.
Most spelling apps ask a word once and move on. This one keeps track of every word separately, and does not count a word as learned until your child can spell it, explain it, and use it.
Hard words come back
Get a word right and it goes away for a while. Get it wrong and it turns up again tomorrow. Every session is a mix: some words your child has struggled with, and some new ones. Nothing gets forgotten, and nothing feels like too much at once.
Spelling it is not the same as knowing it
Once your child can spell a word, we check they can actually use it. They read four sentences and pick the one that uses the word properly. The wrong ones are the mix-ups people really make, like their and there. In the app this part is called the mastery blast.
What your child actually does.
The same five steps for every word, about a minute each, so a short session fits into the time before dinner.
Listen
Press play and hear the word.
Spell it
Type the letters, one box at a time. Play it again, or ask for a hint.
See it
The word appears, with what it means, how to say it, and a sentence using it.
Use it
Later on, pick which of four sentences uses the word properly.
Try it out loud
Write it down, then use it in conversation the next day. That is what makes it stick.
Every year, Foundation to Year 12.
Each year has its own list. The early years use everyday words a child meets in reading and conversation. From Year 7 the words get harder, up to the sort needed in senior school. Your child can practise at any year, not only their own.
Foundation
395 words
Year 1
225 words
Year 2
344 words
Year 3
323 words
Year 4
311 words
Year 5
304 words
Year 6
308 words
Year 7
407 words
Year 8
308 words
Year 9
311 words
Year 10
328 words
Year 11
331 words
Year 12
634 words
Questions we get asked.
If you are thinking about this for a child in your family, these are the ones that come up most.
What is Spelling Maestro?
It is spelling practice your child does on a computer or tablet. They hear a word read out loud in an Australian voice, type it in, and then find out what it means and how to use it in a sentence. It covers every year from Foundation to Year 12.
How many words are there?
Over 4,500 words, sorted into thirteen year levels from Foundation up to Year 12. Every word comes with a plain meaning, a sentence using it, and a recording of it being read aloud.
How is this different from a spelling test at school?
A spelling test asks whether your child can write a word correctly once. This asks three things: can they spell it, do they know what it means, and can they use it properly in a sentence. A word only counts as learned once all three are right.
What happens when my child gets a word wrong?
Nothing unpleasant, and no red crosses. The word simply comes back the next day, and again later, until they get it right. Words they already know go quiet for weeks, so their time is spent on the ones that need it.
Do I need to know anything about spelling to help?
No. Your child can do this on their own. If you would like to help, the most useful thing is to ask them to use their new word in a sentence out loud the next day. That one habit does more good than anything else.
Can my child practise words from a different year?
Yes. There is a menu on the first screen where you can pick any year from Foundation to Year 12. Choose an easier year if they need steadier ground, or a harder one if they are racing ahead. Their progress is kept word by word, so nothing is lost by moving between years.
Can teachers and tutors use it?
Yes. A teacher, tutor or parent can set spelling as work for one child or a whole class, and can build a word list of their own instead of using ours. Whoever set the work can see afterwards which words the child found hard, and what they typed instead.
Why does the voice sound a little slow?
That is on purpose. It reads slightly slower than ordinary speech so your child has time to hear each sound in the word, and slower again if they need a second go. Your child can replay it as many times as they like.
Does writing the word down really help?
It helps more than almost anything else. Writing a new word out by hand, then using it in conversation the next day, is one of the best ways to remember it for good. Spelling Maestro reminds children to do this, and the next day it asks which words they managed to use.
Have a go at a session.
Ten words, read aloud, at whichever year level suits your child. Sign in and they can start straight away.
Start practising