Class setup, weekly lists, auto-graded tests, printables - how to run your whole spelling workflow now that SpellingCity costs $108 a classroom.
STSpellingJoy Team
•Last Updated: July 2, 2026
If you're a teacher who relied on SpellingCity, here's where things stand: the platform now operates as Vocabulary A-Z under Learning A-Z, priced at roughly $108/year per classroom (up to 36 students). If your school funds it, you can keep your old workflow. If you'd be paying personally - as thousands of teachers did in the $35/year era - there are now free tools that run the same weekly routine. This guide is organized around that routine, not around app marketing.
The Classroom Workflow You Need to Replace
Strip away the branding and SpellingCity did four jobs in a teacher's week. Any replacement has to do all four, or it isn't a replacement:
Class setup: get a roster of students working without IT tickets or per-seat fees - SpellingJoy has no student limits, so a class of 22 or 36 costs the same: nothing
Assigning lists: enter Monday's words once and every student practices the same list - SpellingJoy handles custom lists plus 170+ ready-made curriculum-aligned ones
Practice and testing: students hear each word via text-to-speech, type it, and get auto-graded - no teacher dictation, no hand-marking 25 tests on Friday afternoon
Tracking and printables: progress tracking flags who needs reteaching, and printable worksheets cover homework packets and the day the laptop cart is booked
The $108 Question
Here's the budget reality nobody at the district office says out loud: $108/year is a rounding error in a curriculum budget but real money from a teacher's wallet - it's a year of classroom-supply purchases for one website. So the decision tree is short. School pays? Vocabulary A-Z is a fine choice - familiar platform, big activity library, ranked second below. You pay? Run the four-job workflow on SpellingJoy for free, and if you later want gamified leagues for motivation, Spelling Shed adds them for far less than the A-Z license. The rankings below cover both branches, plus the district-scale and upper-grade cases.
SpellingJoy is a 100% free spelling practice platform for K-6 students. Unlimited spelling games, unlimited tests, 134+ word lists, custom list creation, and progress tracking - all completely free with no subscriptions and no hidden costs.
Best for:The full assign-practice-test-track workflow, free, with no student limitsPrice:100% FreeGrades:K-6Platforms:Web
Pros
100% free - unlimited games, tests, and lists
No subscription or hidden costs ever
K-6 curriculum with 134+ word lists
Cons
Web-only (no native mobile apps yet)
Classroom features coming soon
2
Vocabulary A-Z
Best if the school pays
Vocabulary A-Z (formerly VocabularySpellingCity) offers vocabulary and spelling games for K-5 students with classroom management features for teachers. $108/year covers up to 36 students.
Best for:Keeping the exact SpellingCity workflow under its Vocabulary A-Z namePrice:$108/yr (classroom)Grades:K-5Platforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
35+ learning games
Strong classroom integration
Teacher dashboard
Cons
Rebranded from VocabularySpellingCity
Requires annual subscription
Classroom-focused pricing
3
Spelling Shed
Best cheap classroom upgrade
Spelling Shed is a UK-based spelling app with gamification features including competitive leagues and rewards. Home subscription $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for up to 5 students.
Best for:Gamified whole-class practice when you have a small budgetPrice:$29.99/yr (home)Grades:Ages 5-11Platforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
Strong gamification features
Competitive leagues
Cross-platform
Cons
UK curriculum focus
British accent audio
Original app phased out for subscription model
4
IXL
Best district-level pick
IXL is a comprehensive adaptive learning platform covering all subjects from Pre-K through 12th grade.
Best for:Schools standardizing on one platform across subjects with deep reportingPrice:$79-159/yrGrades:Pre-K-12Platforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
Comprehensive K-12 coverage
Adaptive learning
Detailed analytics
Cons
Expensive
Spelling is small part of ELA
5
Quizlet
Best for upper grades
Quizlet's Q-Chat is an AI study buddy that helps explain concepts and quiz students. Combined with millions of flashcard sets, it's a powerful study tool for vocabulary, history, science, and more.
Best for:Vocabulary-heavy review and self-study sets for older studentsPrice:Free / $36-48/yr PlusGrades:6-CollegePlatforms:Web, iOS, Android
Pros
Free basic version
AI explains concepts (Q-Chat)
Millions of pre-made flashcard sets
Cons
AI features require Plus subscription
Primarily for memorization
Less helpful for math problem-solving
Frequently asked questions
What do teachers use instead of SpellingCity?
Teachers whose schools pay have mostly continued on Vocabulary A-Z, the rebranded SpellingCity. Teachers paying out of pocket have largely moved to free tools - SpellingJoy is the closest workflow match with custom lists, text-to-speech practice, auto-grading, printables, and progress tracking - or to low-cost options like Spelling Shed.
How much does Vocabulary A-Z cost per classroom?
The classroom license runs about $108/year covering up to 36 students, with $108-125/year commonly cited. Compare that to the roughly $35/year that SpellingCity charged before the Learning A-Z acquisition - the jump is why so many teachers went looking for alternatives.
Can I assign spelling lists to my whole class for free?
Yes. SpellingJoy has no student limits and no per-seat pricing, so you can set up your class, share this week’s list, and have every student practice with text-to-speech and auto-graded tests without paying anything or counting seats.
Does SpellingJoy have progress tracking for teachers?
Yes. Practice and tests are auto-graded, and progress tracking shows how students are doing on their lists, so you can spot who needs another round before Friday. Unlike license-based platforms, the tracking does not disappear if a school subscription lapses, because there is no subscription.
Can I print spelling worksheets like SpellingCity offered?
Yes. SpellingJoy generates printable worksheets from your word lists, which covers the homework-packet and no-devices-today scenarios that made SpellingCity’s printables popular. The printables are free, like the rest of the platform.
Is Vocabulary A-Z worth $108 a year?
If your school pays and your students already know the platform, it can be - it is the same product teachers liked, with its large activity library intact. If the $108 comes out of your own pocket, it is hard to justify: the workflow features teachers use weekly are available free elsewhere, and the price equals a lot of classroom supplies.
Our Verdict
The teacher question isn't "which app is best" - it's "who is paying for the license?" If it's your school, Vocabulary A-Z keeps your old SpellingCity workflow intact and your students on familiar ground.
If it's you, SpellingJoy runs the entire weekly routine for free - class setup without student caps, custom lists, text-to-speech practice, auto-graded tests, progress tracking, and printable worksheets. That is every job SpellingCity did for you, minus the invoice.
Do this before school starts: set up next week's list in the free option and run one cycle. If nothing is missing by Friday, you have your answer - and your $108.
ST
About the Author
SpellingJoy Team
The SpellingJoy team is dedicated to creating free, high-quality spelling resources for K-6 students and their families. We test every app we review and provide honest assessments to help parents make informed decisions.
