Best Spelling Apps for Dyslexia (2026)

When my daughter's spelling routine stopped working, I went looking for an app that could help. Forty minutes later I had a tab full of products with very similar marketing language and no honest way to tell them apart.

This is the comparison I wish I'd had then. Each of these is real, each does something different, and the right one for your family depends less on which "wins" a list and more on what your child actually needs.

What to look for in a spelling app for dyslexia

Five things matter more than features lists:

A research-backed approach. Orton-Gillingham, structured literacy, or retrieval practice. Not just "fun games."
Multisensory practice. See the word, hear the sound, write it. Not just tap-and-match.
Adapts to your child. A fixed sequence is fine for typical learners. Kids with dyslexia need the words they are missing to come back more often.
Light on parent prep. If sitting down to do spelling means thirty minutes of printing, cutting, laminating, or assembling a weekly binder first, the spelling won't happen. This is a real hurdle, not a personality flaw. The best app for a busy homeschool parent is one you can open and use.
Honest about its lane. Some apps teach the rules. Some give practice. Some do both. Knowing which is which is the whole game.

The main options

Nessy Reading & Spelling

What it does: Orton-Gillingham-based lessons with animated games and videos. Built by specialist teachers at the Bristol Dyslexia Centre.
Best for: Kids who need explicit OG instruction from the ground up, especially without an existing curriculum.
Cost: Around $15.50/month or $126/year for home use.
Where it shines: British Dyslexia Association quality mark; strong reputation for engagement.
Watch out for: Significant screen time. One of the more expensive options for home.

Touch-Type Read & Spell (TTRS)

What it does: Multisensory OG-based program that pairs spelling reinforcement with learning to touch-type.
Best for: Kids 7+ who would benefit from typing fluency alongside spelling work.
Cost: $129/year or $209/year, depending on plan.
Where it shines: Builds a real adjacent skill (typing) while reinforcing spelling patterns. Designed with dyslexia in mind.
Watch out for: Screen-based. The typing focus isn't a fit for every child.

Simplex Spelling

What it does: Phoneme-grapheme mapping with a structured progression designed for learning differences.
Best for: Younger or beginning spellers; families who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription.
Cost: One-time app purchase (a few dollars, depending on the app store).
Where it shines: Affordable, research-backed, no recurring fees.
Watch out for: Limited progression for older kids who have moved past phoneme-level mapping.

Spelling Shed

What it does: Spelling practice app with leagues, levels, and rewards. Popular in UK schools.
Best for: Kids who respond well to game-based motivation and competition.
Cost: Check their site directly. Pricing isn't prominently posted and varies by plan and number of children.
Where it shines: Offers an OpenDyslexic font option. Strong adoption in UK classrooms.
Watch out for: Not Orton-Gillingham based. The reward model doesn't suit every child.

Lexia Core5 Reading

What it does: Adaptive structured-literacy program that covers reading broadly, not just spelling.
Best for: School use. Mostly purchased by schools, not families.
Cost: Typically a school subscription, limited home availability.
Where it shines: Widely deployed in US schools, with a strong research base.
Watch out for: Spelling is one piece of a larger reading program. Not the cleanest fit if spelling is your only target.

Spellexi

What it does: A practice-layer app. Your child writes words on paper from memory. You take a photo. The app grades it, tracks mastery, and brings missed words back at the right intervals (spaced repetition).
Best for: Families where the child knows the rules (or is learning them from AAS, Barton, or another phonics program) but the words aren't sticking in real writing.
Cost: $9.99/month or $79.99/year, with a 30-day free trial (no card required). Free access available for Feedback Families (homeschool parents willing to share occasional feedback).
Where it shines: No prep ritual before practice (no printing, no cutting, no laminator). The only option on this list that keeps your child writing on paper, not on a screen.
Watch out for: Newest tool on this list. Not a phonics curriculum and doesn't replace one. iOS only for now.

Where Spellexi fits in

Spellexi is the newest tool on this list and the only one designed specifically as a practice layer rather than a curriculum. If your child needs to learn the rules of English spelling from scratch, Nessy or Simplex are stronger bets. If your child needs typing skills alongside spelling, TTRS is built for that. If your child knows the rules but the words don't transfer to writing, that's the specific gap Spellexi was built to close.

It's also the only one on this list that keeps your child writing on paper instead of a screen, and the only one that doesn't ask you to print, cut, or laminate anything to get started. Whether those are strengths or limitations depends on what you want.

The short version

There's no single best spelling app for dyslexia. There's the right app for your child, your existing curriculum, your screen-time tolerance, and your tolerance for prep work. Use the five criteria above to narrow down. And don't expect any app to do the work of a trained dyslexia specialist. Apps supplement. They don't replace expert support.

If you'd like to try Spellexi as the practice layer alongside whatever you're already using, see pricing or be a Feedback Family for free access.

Want to try Spellexi? See pricing. Or be a Feedback Family for free access in exchange for monthly feedback. I'm personally reading every application.