How we keep SpellingJoy honest.

SpellingJoy is an independent product built and run by a small team. The same people who build the SpellingJoy app research, test, and maintain every guide in our directory. We do not use ghost writers or invented bylines - guides are published as the work of the SpellingJoy editorial team.

Have a question or correction? Email editor@spellingjoy.com.

Every tool we cover is tested hands-on with real K–6 students for at least three hours, on the platforms families and schools actually use.

We score each tool on seven criteria, each from 0–10, weighted equally:

1. Pedagogy - research-backed, age-appropriate, scaffolded.
2. Engagement - would real kids use it twice?
3. Learner outcomes - measurable progress, parent/teacher reporting.
4. Value for price - free tier, paid tier, family/classroom plans.
5. Parent/teacher controls - settings, time limits, content filters.
6. COPPA / FERPA compliance - privacy policy, data minimization, ad-free for kids.
7. Accessibility - read-aloud, dyslexia fonts, color contrast, screen-reader support.

Aggregate score → 5-tier grade: Excellent / Strong / Solid / Mixed / Skip.

Editorial rankings are decided by humans, not algorithms.

• Algorithms surface candidates; editors decide ordering based on the seven-criteria score.
• No spot in any ranking is for sale. Period.
• Vendor verification changes facts and branding on a listing, never its editorial position.

We label every commercial relationship.

• Affiliate links are marked with a *.
• Verified listings show a "verified" mark so readers know the vendor confirmed the facts.
• Reviews of apps that compete with SpellingJoy carry an extra disclosure line.

We do not sell listings, reviews, placements, or rankings. Being listed on SpellingJoy is free, and the vendor program (spellingjoy.com/for-vendors) costs nothing.

1. Our own product

SpellingJoy is itself a spelling practice app for K–6. Where SpellingJoy appears in our own guides, it is ranked by the same seven criteria as everyone else and clearly marked as ours.

2. Affiliate links

On some pages we use affiliate links so we earn a small fee if a reader purchases through them. Affiliate participation never influences whether a tool is reviewed positively, included in a Top 10, or recommended to a particular reader profile.

Vendors do not see drafts before publication. Vendors cannot edit a published review.

• Sell any spot in any list.
• Edit a published review at a vendor's request.
• Accept submissions from apps that violate COPPA.
• Run ads in any content directly aimed at children.
• Disclose private vendor information except as required by law.

We can decline any listing or review for any reason, at any time. Listing is never guaranteed. If we begin a review and find serious quality, safety, or compliance issues, we publish what we found.

If you spot a factual error, email editor@spellingjoy.com with the URL and the correction. We respond within 2 business days. Confirmed errors are corrected within 5 business days and the change is noted at the bottom of the article.

Editorial: editor@spellingjoy.com

Vendors: spellingjoy.com/for-vendors