- Fri Aug 14, 2026 10:48 am
#98563
Words were usually studied using the lists of them. On Monday, a child studied ten words and was tested on Friday. In a month, they had forgotten these words almost entirely. It doesn't mean that the problem is in the method of studying which is not effective enough, as it doesn't correspond to the principle of memorizing and the parents know it.
However, the word games are different. If you want to use this technique, you should understand how.
Why retrieval is better than recognition
If reading is about identifying the word easily, then spelling is about generating the word. It is two different skills, and the second one is the aim of the spelling test.
Guessing is a whole process based on the principle of retrieving. A child generates the word, types it out and discovers whether there is such a word. It is impossible to guess it with the help of the list or multiple choice questions.
Each guess is an attempt to retrieve the word from the memory and spell it. Such an idea is called the testing effect and it is one of the most reliable achievements of the cognitive sciences.
To be asked to generate something is a far more effective way than to be shown something.
Immediate feedback closes the loop
Another part of the testing effect is the process of corrections, which is fast. In a spelling test, a child generates the word on Friday and discovers its correctness a week later, which means forgetting all memories of this process.
While playing the word game, a child receives immediate feedback. The letter is correct, but it is in the wrong place. There is no such letter in this word at all. A child corrects his/her mistakes and tries to generate another word with the help of recent memories, which is when corrections are needed.
Positioning of the letter becomes concrete
Something subtle is happening in the case of orange tiles. A child learns that the letter is correct, but it is in the wrong place, so spelling is a sequence of letters and not a list of ingredients.
It is an obvious thing for an adult, but it is a big step for a young reader. Often, a child who learns to spell words phonetically ends up with a word, which is spelled correctly but not in the right order. The game which distinguishes between 'this letter should go here' and 'this letter should go somewhere' gives a child a language to think about the problem.
Practical advantages: volume without resistance
The practical advantage is the number of attempts which a child can make. Going through the list of words, they generate about twenty words per week with some hesitations. Playing an interesting word game, they generate two hundred words voluntarily and don't consider it a boring task.
That is why the limit per day format is not effective for the educational purposes. Learning one word per day is a ritual, and a lot of practice is made by playing an unlimited game and enjoying it.
Adjusting the difficulty to a child's level
The most important thing to remember is to choose a proper length of the word, which changes faster than parents expect.
Word length Suitable for
Three letters A child studying consonant-vowel-consonant words, roughly reception or year one
Four letters A child who has learned that pattern and meets blends and digraphs
Five letters A confident reader of eight or nine years
Six and seven letters A fluent reader who just wants to have fun
Wordle Unlimited allows setting the length of the word in the settings, from three to seven letters, and the list of three-letter words is pre-filtered for kids. To be able to change the difficulty of the game according to the progress of the child is more helpful than it seems, because once the game becomes too easy, the learning stops.
How to play to make it really work
Ask the child to say the word aloud before they type it. It will help them to sound out the word and not try to guess it visually.
Do not show the child the right place of the letter when it is orange; the child should figure it out.
Do not correct a wrong guess if it was still a word. A child guessing a word which is not in the list and receiving grey tiles hasn't done anything wrong, and treating this attempt as a mistake teaches a child to be careful rather than confident.
Make the session short. Ten minutes of enthusiastic playing is better than half an hour of reluctant playing. Stopping the game before the child gets bored is the key to success.
Playing the game together
You can give a word to your child with the help of the challenge function, where you can choose the hidden word and send a link. Giving a word from their current spelling list turns the homework into a game without making it suspicious for the child, and it is an excellent result.
Everything works in the browser on wordleunlimited.dev, no account required and no need for downloading, which also means no advertisements during the child's focus on the task.
However, the word games are different. If you want to use this technique, you should understand how.
Why retrieval is better than recognition
If reading is about identifying the word easily, then spelling is about generating the word. It is two different skills, and the second one is the aim of the spelling test.
Guessing is a whole process based on the principle of retrieving. A child generates the word, types it out and discovers whether there is such a word. It is impossible to guess it with the help of the list or multiple choice questions.
Each guess is an attempt to retrieve the word from the memory and spell it. Such an idea is called the testing effect and it is one of the most reliable achievements of the cognitive sciences.
To be asked to generate something is a far more effective way than to be shown something.
Immediate feedback closes the loop
Another part of the testing effect is the process of corrections, which is fast. In a spelling test, a child generates the word on Friday and discovers its correctness a week later, which means forgetting all memories of this process.
While playing the word game, a child receives immediate feedback. The letter is correct, but it is in the wrong place. There is no such letter in this word at all. A child corrects his/her mistakes and tries to generate another word with the help of recent memories, which is when corrections are needed.
Positioning of the letter becomes concrete
Something subtle is happening in the case of orange tiles. A child learns that the letter is correct, but it is in the wrong place, so spelling is a sequence of letters and not a list of ingredients.
It is an obvious thing for an adult, but it is a big step for a young reader. Often, a child who learns to spell words phonetically ends up with a word, which is spelled correctly but not in the right order. The game which distinguishes between 'this letter should go here' and 'this letter should go somewhere' gives a child a language to think about the problem.
Practical advantages: volume without resistance
The practical advantage is the number of attempts which a child can make. Going through the list of words, they generate about twenty words per week with some hesitations. Playing an interesting word game, they generate two hundred words voluntarily and don't consider it a boring task.
That is why the limit per day format is not effective for the educational purposes. Learning one word per day is a ritual, and a lot of practice is made by playing an unlimited game and enjoying it.
Adjusting the difficulty to a child's level
The most important thing to remember is to choose a proper length of the word, which changes faster than parents expect.
Word length Suitable for
Three letters A child studying consonant-vowel-consonant words, roughly reception or year one
Four letters A child who has learned that pattern and meets blends and digraphs
Five letters A confident reader of eight or nine years
Six and seven letters A fluent reader who just wants to have fun
Wordle Unlimited allows setting the length of the word in the settings, from three to seven letters, and the list of three-letter words is pre-filtered for kids. To be able to change the difficulty of the game according to the progress of the child is more helpful than it seems, because once the game becomes too easy, the learning stops.
How to play to make it really work
Ask the child to say the word aloud before they type it. It will help them to sound out the word and not try to guess it visually.
Do not show the child the right place of the letter when it is orange; the child should figure it out.
Do not correct a wrong guess if it was still a word. A child guessing a word which is not in the list and receiving grey tiles hasn't done anything wrong, and treating this attempt as a mistake teaches a child to be careful rather than confident.
Make the session short. Ten minutes of enthusiastic playing is better than half an hour of reluctant playing. Stopping the game before the child gets bored is the key to success.
Playing the game together
You can give a word to your child with the help of the challenge function, where you can choose the hidden word and send a link. Giving a word from their current spelling list turns the homework into a game without making it suspicious for the child, and it is an excellent result.
Everything works in the browser on wordleunlimited.dev, no account required and no need for downloading, which also means no advertisements during the child's focus on the task.
- By graves
- By perturabo