# The Spelling Bee

> Interactive spelling practice app with games, custom lists, and progress tracking. (iPhone/iPad app by TicTapTech, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spelling-bee/id625029839 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [TicTapTech, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/419411017)
- Category: Education, Games
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 148 App Store ratings · 58 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-04-10
- Data updated: 2026-09-04
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spelling-bee/id625029839/reviews.md

## What is The Spelling Bee?

The Spelling Bee has fun game modes to practice spelling! Enter your weekly spelling words or choose from one of the pre-loaded lists with over 850 words! This app is recommended for preschool – 5th grade. It is great for practicing for tests at school, but it is also awesome for enrichment or summer practice! 

*We have added new features!!!*
•You can now copy word lists from one profile to another on the same device.
•You can now email word lists to other users. This is a great way for teachers to send out weekly word lists!

GAMES AND FEATURES-
•Spelling Swarm: Tap the bees as they move across the screen to spell the words.

•Honeycomb Scramble: Unscramble the letters to reveal the spelling words.

•Alpha “Bee” tize: Tap and drag the words in the list to arrange them in alphabetical order. This is a great way to practice (or learn) the skill of alphabetizing while also becoming familiar with the spelling of the words.

•Spelling Bee: This is the standard test mode where you simply type in the correct spelling.

•Word Lists:  You have the option of recording your own spelling word lists or using the lists pre-loaded in the app. The pre-loaded lists have over 850 words separated into 4 different levels and some special categories. Level 1 begins with lists like “at” words and “2 letter sight words” which are perfect for starting spelling with preschoolers or kindergarteners. The levels gradually progress to words like photosynthesis and camouflage at the end of level 4.  Category lists such as numbers, colors, animals, days and months are also included! When you record your own words, you can also include a sentence with the recording.

•Badges: For each word list, you can try to earn 4 different badges for each of the game modes. Those include the “Alpha ‘Bee’ Tize” badge, the “Honeycomb Scramble” badge, the “Spelling Swarm” badge and the “Spelling Bee” badge. Badges are earned when a word list is completed without any mistakes. The badges help to show progress at a glance and motivate kids to master the word lists.

•Profiles: Set up as many profiles as you like, so that each child can earn their own badges.

•History: Shows the “Spelling Bee” (test) history, so that students and parents can track progress and see which words are being missed.


WHO SHOULD USE THIS APP?
1.Students with weekly spelling tests: This app lets them practice in a fun way, and keeps records so there is no doubt when they are ready for the test at school. 

2.Homeschoolers: The built in lists would be great as pretests or a starting point for a spelling curriculum. And of course additional words can be added to fit your specific needs.

3.Those just learning to spell: Our lists start at the BEGINNING! Starting kids with words like “cat”, “bat”, “mat” and fun games is a way to introduce spelling without being overwhelming. All of the words in level 1 only have one or two sound “chunks” and are only 2 or 3 letters.  Because the words are played audibly, it can also help with beginning reading skills as well!

4.Students who need more spelling practice: If your child tends to forget how to spell words even after being tested on them at school, this app could serve as a refresher of many of the spelling words he/she needs to know.

5.Those that need a challenge: If your child is getting all of the spelling words at school correct without even studying, this app could be a great enrichment tool. Have your child work some of the more difficult lists built into the app, or challenge them with creative lists of your own.

For questions or feedback, please contact us at: spelling@tictaptech.com

## Key features

- Spelling games (Swarm, Scramble, Alphabetize, Test)
- Customizable word lists
- Pre-loaded word lists (850+ words)
- Progress tracking with history
- Earnable badges for mastery
- Multiple user profiles

## Chart rankings

- #171 in Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

## What do users think of The Spelling Bee?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Helps kids learn spelling
- 👍 Keeps kids engaged
- 👍 Solves meltdowns over spelling prep
- 👍 Thriving with the app
- 👍 Best app for studying words
- 👍 Can add own spelling lists
- 👍 Can record own voice
- 👍 Hint feature helpful
- 👍 Amazing app
- 👍 Helped daughter with spelling
- 👍 Great for Scripps spelling bee prep
- 👍 Amazing application
- 👍 Improved spelling scores significantly
- 👍 Good practice for spelling
- 👍 Useful app
- 👍 Great for homeschoolers
- 👍 Makes spelling painless and fun
- 👍 Increased grades
- 👍 Well worth the price
- 👍 Easy to upload weekly words
- 👍 User-friendly
- 👍 Great for children to study
- 👍 Games help words register
- 👍 Fantastic study aid
- 👍 Several games available
- 👍 Visual and auditory options
- 👍 Lists by level
- 👍 Makes learning fun
- 👍 Wonderful for 1st grader
- 👍 Great educational app
- 👍 Makes kids interested in studying
- 👍 Well done app
- 👍 Very helpful and fun
- 👍 Very helpful study tool
- 👍 BEST APP EVER
- 👍 Excellent app
- 👍 Multiple games at different levels
- 👍 Highly recommend
- 👍 Makes spelling words painless
- 👍 Great way to add to curriculum
- 👍 Improved spelling and reading skills
- 👍 Easy to program words
- 👍 Kids more engaged
- 👍 Spelling bee to check progress
- 👍 Nice educational app
- 👍 Fun way to learn
- 👍 Pre-made and custom lists
- 👍 Different games keep things interesting
- 👍 Great graphics
- 👍 Landscape mode easy to play
- 👍 Ability to add players
- 👍 Track progress
- 👍 Home run app
- 👍 Great for parents and kids together
- 👍 Kids can do it solo
- 👍 Well worth the money
- 👍 Both love it
- 👍 All games easy to play
- 👍 Easy to put in new words
- 👍 Engaging games
- 👍 Kids love it
- 👍 Great spelling review tool
- 👍 Improvement in recall
- 👍 Great way to study spelling words
- 👍 Great app, daughter loves games
- 👍 Perfect for weekly word list practice
- 👍 Fun to practice weekly words
- 👍 Improved spelling test grades
- 👍 Kids love recording own voices
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Keeps track of performance
- 👍 Favorite spelling app
- 👍 Fun games break monotony
- 👍 Saves lists for review
- 👍 Great app, needs sync

**Cons**

- 🐛 Games are not great
- 🐛 Super glitchy
- 🐛 Keyboard has too many unneeded features
- 🐛 Microphone feature can be used to cheat
- 🐛 Crashes all the time
- 🐛 Cannot edit lists after crash
- 🐛 Freezes screen
- 🐛 Won't record any word
- 🐛 Keeps crashing
- 🐛 App closes after a few words
- 🐛 Useless if full list can't be entered
- 🐛 Constantly shutting down
- 🐛 Cannot edit word list after shutdown
- 🐛 Makes you create a whole new list
- 🐛 Frustrating
- 🐛 Crashes all the time
- 🐛 App hasn't been updated
- 🐛 Paid for a crap app
- 🐛 Stops suddenly
- 🐛 Glitches continuously
- 🐛 Audio problems
- 🐛 App crashes when recording
- 🐛 No word heard in honeybee swarm
- 🐛 Letters move dizzyingly
- 🐛 Makes you dizzy and nauseous
- 🐛 Not worth $2
- 🐛 No automatic pronunciation for new words
- 🐛 Lot of manual work for kids
- 🐛 Not efficient
- 🐛 Not enough words in list
- 🐛 Don't get badge for one mistake
- 🐛 Discouraging
- 🐛 Hard to navigate
- 🐛 Marks correct spelling as wrong
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Record/stop button functions in reverse
- 🐛 Two games do not work
- 🐛 Limited app
- 🐛 Watered down version of another app
- 🐛 Almost, needs study section additions
- 🐛 Scramble honeycomb list hard without hints

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App is super glitchy
- App crashes all the time
- App freezes screen
- App won't record any word
- App keeps crashing
- App closes after a few words
- App constantly shutting down
- Cannot edit word list after shutdown
- App stops suddenly
- App glitches continuously
- App crashes when recording
- No word heard in honeybee swarm
- Record/stop button functions in reverse
- Two games do not work
- Marks correct spelling as wrong
- Buggy app
- App hasn't been updated

**Most requested features**

- Fix the keyboard issue in spelling tests
- Improve the games
- Make letters lowercase
- More user-friendly selection for kids
- Limit honeycombs to 1 or 2 rows
- Fix bugs
- Fix audio problems
- Add to study section (say word, spell aloud)
- Sync between devices
- Offer money back guarantees for apps

## Recent user reviews (10 of 58)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spelling-bee/id625029839/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Spelling

*2024-01-23, version 1.7*

I love it! It helps my kids learn spelling so much easier I definitely recommend!

### 5/5 — Game changer

*2023-01-24, version 1.7*

I’ve been trying to find something that will keep my kids engaged and wanting to do their prep for the upcoming spelling test. This has solved the melt downs over the idea. My kids are 9 and 6 and thrive using this app. Just what I needed.

### 4/5 — Ok

*2020-01-17, version 1.7*

It ok

### 1/5 — Not Great

*2020-01-09, version 1.7*

Looking for an app that I could put my kids spelling list into and have him play games.  This does that but the games are t great and it is super glitchy!  Try a different one.  Wish I could have my $2 back!

### 4/5 — Spelling Test feature

*2019-09-27, version 1.7*

This is the best App I have found for my son to study his weekly spelling words. You can add your own spelling list and record yourself saying the word which is key to helping them lean. Unlike some other Apps this one had a hint feature on the word scramble that will allow the kids to hear the word they are unscrambling, which is really important when the kids are trying to learn their new words. My only issue with the App that I wish they could fix my issue with the actual "Spelling Test" I'm not sure if it is just our iPad, but my son is given the standard iPad key board to type our the word during a practice test. The only problem with that is there is too many features on the key board that the kids don't need, like: TAB, CAP LOCK, all the NUMBERS, EMOJI ICONS, & the usful MICROPHONE that actually helps the kids cheat.

### 5/5 — AWESOME

*2019-04-08, version 1.7*

I LOVE THIS APP

### 5/5 — This is so great!

*2019-03-20, version 1.7*

It has helped my daughter so much with her spelling words.

### 1/5 — Unstable

*2019-01-10, version 1.5*

This app crashes all the time

### 5/5 — Pls read has all info

*2019-01-07, version 1.5*

This app is amazing. People say it cab crash, but it never crashed on me. People also say when it crashes you can't edit lists after. They're wrong. You do it by clicking edit then clicking the list u want to edit NOT on the minus symbol. And there u go. I also like how u can make your own lists.that feature really helped me prepare for Scripps spelling bee. You should buy this and support the secs. 👍

### 1/5 — Seems like a great App

*2018-12-21, version 1.5*

Loved the games. I couldn’t figure out how to record my own lists. Wouldn’t work no matter what I tried. Then the program froze my screen. It has potential to be great, but not if I can’t record and it freezes my screen.

## Frequently asked questions about The Spelling Bee

### What does The Spelling Bee app do?

The Spelling Bee app offers a variety of fun game modes to help users practice spelling. It allows you to enter your own weekly spelling words or choose from over 850 pre-loaded words categorized by level and subject. The app also includes features like progress tracking, badges, and multiple user profiles.

### What are the main features of The Spelling Bee app?

Key features include several interactive spelling games such as Spelling Swarm, Honeycomb Scramble, Alpha 'Bee' tize, and a standard Spelling Bee test mode. Users can create custom word lists, utilize extensive pre-loaded lists, track their progress through history logs, and earn badges for completing word lists without mistakes. The app also supports multiple profiles for individual tracking.

### Is The Spelling Bee app free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, The Spelling Bee app is available for free. It does not appear to have any in-app purchases or advertisements, making it a completely free resource for users.

### Who is the target audience for The Spelling Bee app?

This app is recommended for students from preschool through 5th grade. It is particularly beneficial for students preparing for weekly spelling tests at school, homeschoolers looking for curriculum support, and individuals who are just beginning to learn how to spell.

### How can I use The Spelling Bee app for my child's schoolwork?

You can enter your child's weekly spelling words directly into the app or use the pre-loaded lists as practice. The various game modes make practicing engaging, and the history feature allows you to track which words your child might be struggling with, ensuring they are ready for tests. Teachers can also email word lists to students.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.7 — 2019-02-01

Fixes an issue with emailing spelling lists

### 1.6 — 2019-01-18

Fix for the microphone

### 1.5 — 2014-12-05

Bug fix for importing spelling lists on iPads with multiple profiles running the new version of iOS

### 1.4 — 2014-09-27

Bug fixes

### 1.3 — 2014-09-03

Bug fixes

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## More apps by TicTapTech, LLC

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All apps by TicTapTech, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/419411017

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*
