Spellie

Spellie takes the familiar Wordle formula and tunes it for children who are still learning to spell. Instead of one five-letter word for adults, it offers three daily puzzles, labelled Easy, Medium and Hard, so a younger child and an older sibling can both find a level that suits them.

The game was made in Canada by Christopher Porter, David Hirtle and James Dodds, and has been running since 2022. According to its about page, the Easy word stays within a Grade 2 vocabulary, while the Hard word is harder but still uses Grade 5 words.

A day's play goes like this: pick a tab, type a guess and read the colours. A letter in the right place turns green, a letter that is in the word but elsewhere is marked, and letters that are not in the word stay grey. You have six guesses per word, the first letter is shown to get you started, and a hint button is there if a child gets stuck.

The large round tiles, simple layout and short words make it friendlier than the adult games it borrows from. There is an archive of past days, a collection of pictures to unlock, and a share button for the results. It suits parents and teachers looking for a quick daily spelling activity, and early readers who want their own version of the game the grown-ups play.