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Vocabulary and Spelling Games

Spelling and vocabulary stick better when students use the words out loud, under a little friendly pressure. These games work with any word list, from sight words to SAT vocabulary.

  • 🎲 20 games
  • βœ… Free
  • πŸ–₯ Board-ready tools
Review games

Around the World

Two students race to answer a flash card.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–8
Review games

Board Relay Race

Teams line up and take turns running to the board to answer one step of a problem, then hand the marker to the next teammate.

  • ⏱ 15–25 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
Review games

Categories

Pick a letter and a list of categories.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
  • ✏️ No prep
Review games

Classroom Bingo

Students mark answers on a bingo card as you read clues.

  • ⏱ 15–30 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–12
Quiet games

Classroom Boggle

Students find as many words as possible in a grid of letters.

  • ⏱ 5–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
Review games

Classroom Taboo

A student describes a vocabulary word to their team without saying the word or any of the "taboo" words listed on the card.

  • ⏱ 15–30 min
  • πŸŽ“ 6–12
Review games

Fly Swatter

Two students race to swat the correct answer on the board with a fly swatter.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–8
Review games

Hangman

Students guess letters to reveal a hidden word before the drawing is complete.

  • ⏱ 5–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–12
  • ✏️ No prep
Review games

Hot Seat

One student sits with their back to the board while teammates describe the word written behind them.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
Quiet games

Mad Libs

Students supply nouns, verbs and adjectives without seeing the story, then read the silly result aloud.

  • ⏱ 10–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–8
Review games

Memory Match

Students flip cards two at a time to find matching pairs, such as a word and its definition.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–8
Review games

Odd One Out

Show four words, numbers or pictures and ask students which one does not belong and why.

  • ⏱ 5–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–12
Review games

Pictionary

One student draws a word on the board while their team guesses it before time runs out.

  • ⏱ 10–30 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–12
Review games

Quiz Quiz Trade

Each student holds a question card, quizzes a partner, gets quizzed back, then trades cards and finds a new partner.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
Review games

Sparkle

Students spell a word aloud one letter at a time around the circle.

  • ⏱ 10–20 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–8
Review games

Spelling Bee

Students take turns spelling words aloud.

  • ⏱ 15–30 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–8
No prep

Thankful Alphabet

The class works through the alphabet naming one thing they are thankful for per letter.

  • ⏱ 10–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ K–8
  • ✏️ No prep
No prep

Word Chain

Each student says a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word: apple, egg, giraffe.

  • ⏱ 5–10 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12
  • ✏️ No prep
Quiet games

Word Ladder

Change one letter at a time to turn one word into another: CAT to COT to DOT to DOG.

  • ⏱ 5–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–8
  • ✏️ No prep
Review games

Word Scramble

Teams race to unscramble vocabulary words.

  • ⏱ 5–15 min
  • πŸŽ“ 3–12

Quick picks

Top 5 to try first

  1. 🌍 Around the WorldTwo students race to answer a flash card.
  2. πŸƒ Board Relay RaceTeams line up and take turns running to the board to answer one step of a problem, then hand the marker to the next teammate.
  3. πŸ“ CategoriesPick a letter and a list of categories.
  4. 🎱 Classroom BingoStudents mark answers on a bingo card as you read clues.
  5. πŸ”  Classroom BoggleStudents find as many words as possible in a grid of letters.

Play online

Online vocabulary and spelling games games for the board

Quiz ShowKahoot-style questions with colors, a countdown and team points. No student devices.β–Ά Play nowMemory MatchFlip two cards, find the pair. Words, facts or translations.β–Ά Play nowGuess the WordWordle with your own spelling words, hints and team turns.β–Ά Play nowPass the BombA hidden random fuse, a challenge and a ball to pass. Boom!β–Ά Play nowWord ScrambleUnscramble the letters before the timer runs out.β–Ά Play now

Board tools

Free tools for these games

Classroom TimerBig full-screen countdown with presets and an alarm.Open tool β†’Random Name PickerPaste your class list and pick students fairly.Open tool β†’Random Team GeneratorSplit the class into random groups in one click.Open tool β†’Classroom ScoreboardKeep team scores on the board for any game.Open tool β†’Hangman for the ClassroomPlay hangman on the board with your own words.Open tool β†’Bingo Card GeneratorMake printable bingo cards from any word list.Open tool β†’

Questions teachers ask

Frequently asked questions

What is a fun way to practice spelling words in class?

Sparkle, a team spelling bee, Hangman and Word Scramble all work with your weekly list.

How do I review vocabulary with a game?

Try Hot Seat, Fly Swatter, Pictionary or Bingo with definitions as the clues.

Explore

More classroom games

🧸 Kindergarten (K–2)πŸŽ’ Elementary StudentsπŸ“š Middle SchoolπŸŽ“ High Schoolβž— MathπŸ’¬ ESLπŸ”€ Vocabulary and Spelling GamesπŸ§ͺ ScienceπŸ† Review games⚑ Brain breaksπŸ‘‹ Icebreakers🀝 Team buildingπŸš€ No prep🀫 Quiet games🌧️ Indoor recessπŸŽ‰ End of yearπŸŽ’ Back to schoolπŸŽƒ HalloweenπŸ¦ƒ ThanksgivingπŸŽ„ Christmas & winterπŸ’˜ Valentine's Day