SpellingCity vs Vocabulary A-Z: What Actually Changed
It's the same platform wearing a new badge - but the price, the owner, and who it's sold to all changed. The before-and-after, item by item.
STSpellingJoy Team
•Last Updated: July 2, 2026
This isn't a comparison of two products - it's a before-and-after of one. Vocabulary A-Z is SpellingCity: the platform passed from SpellingCity to VocabularySpellingCity, was acquired by Learning A-Z (Cambium Learning Group), and emerged from its 2023-2024 rebrand with a new name. What actually changed is everything around the product - owner, price, domain, and the kind of customer it wants. Here's the honest ledger of what moved and what didn't.
The Ledger: What Changed
Name: SpellingCity → VocabularySpellingCity → Vocabulary A-Z, aligning it with Learning A-Z siblings like Raz-Kids and Reading A-Z
Ownership: from an independent consumer product to a line item in Cambium Learning Group's Learning A-Z catalog
Pricing: from roughly $35/year that a parent could impulse-buy to a classroom license around $108/year (up to 36 students), commonly cited at $108-125 - procurement pricing, not pocket-money pricing
Domain and links: spellingcity.com now redirects, and the years of deep links teachers shared - specific games, lists, assignments - broke, which is the single biggest reason people believe the site died
Logins: school accounts moved through the Learning A-Z transition; old personal-subscription logins generally stopped being a way in, since individual consumer plans are no longer the model
The Ledger: What Stayed the Same
The educational machinery survived the rebrand. The word-list-driven design, the activity library with favorites like HangMouse and Word Unscramble, the vocabulary emphasis that prompted the middle name change - all of it continued into Vocabulary A-Z rather than being rebuilt or retired. If you sat a student from 2019 in front of a licensed Vocabulary A-Z classroom today, they'd recognize what they were looking at. That's precisely what makes the situation frustrating: the product you remember still exists; the price of admission is what tripled. Which is why the rankings below list Vocabulary A-Z first - it genuinely is the thing itself - and then the two sensible paths for everyone the new pricing left behind.
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:Anyone comparing the before and after - this is SpellingCity, continued under the new 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
Our pick
2
SpellingJoy
The free exit ramp
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:Users who liked old SpellingCity pricing more than they like the new licensePrice: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
3
Spelling Shed
The budget middle path
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:Paying something for gamified practice without paying Vocabulary A-Z ratesPrice:$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
Frequently asked questions
Is Vocabulary A-Z the same as SpellingCity?
At its core, yes. Vocabulary A-Z is the continuation of SpellingCity (later VocabularySpellingCity) after Learning A-Z, a Cambium Learning Group company, acquired it and rebranded it across 2023-2024. The platform survived; the name, ownership, domain behavior, and pricing model are what changed.
What is the difference between SpellingCity and Vocabulary A-Z?
Four practical differences: the name (SpellingCity to VocabularySpellingCity to Vocabulary A-Z), the owner (independent product to Learning A-Z under Cambium), the price (about $35/year for families and teachers versus a classroom license around $108/year, commonly cited at $108-125), and the buyer it targets (parents and individual teachers versus schools with purchase orders).
Did Vocabulary A-Z keep SpellingCity’s games and activities?
The activity library - including favorites like HangMouse and Word Unscramble - carried into the Learning A-Z era rather than being scrapped. The difference is access: activities that many users once reached on a cheap personal subscription now sit behind the classroom license, so for non-subscribers the games effectively went away.
Do old SpellingCity logins still work on Vocabulary A-Z?
School accounts were generally handled through the Learning A-Z transition, so teachers in licensed schools should check with their administrator. Personal logins from the old ~$35/year subscription era typically no longer grant access, because Vocabulary A-Z is not sold as an individual consumer subscription.
Why does Vocabulary A-Z cost more than SpellingCity did?
Because the customer changed. SpellingCity priced for households; Learning A-Z prices for institutions, where ~$108/year per classroom (up to 36 students) is normal procurement math. The product did not triple in features - the billing target moved from a parent’s credit card to a school budget line.
Should I switch to Vocabulary A-Z or use a free alternative?
If your school already licenses Vocabulary A-Z, use it - it is the platform you knew. If you would be paying personally, a free alternative makes more sense: SpellingJoy covers the everyday SpellingCity workflow (custom lists, text-to-speech, auto-graded tests, tracking, printables) at $0 with no student limits.
Our Verdict
Verdict: same engine, new dealership, triple the sticker. Vocabulary A-Z kept SpellingCity's substance - lists, activities, vocabulary focus - while changing its name, owner, domain, and above all its buyer, from families to school systems.
So the choice is really about your budget line. School-funded classroom? Vocabulary A-Z is the authentic continuation and there's no re-learning curve. Paying yourself? SpellingJoy is the free exit ramp that covers the daily workflow, with Spelling Shed as the budget-paid middle path.
One sentence to remember: SpellingCity didn't lose its features in the rebrand - it lost its price.
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.
