Word Builder

• Kindergarten–1st grade
• Ages 5–7
• Free, no sign-up

A picture appears and the game says the word. Your child taps the letter tiles in order to spell it: c, a, t. Wrong letters bounce back, right ones stay. It starts with short words like cat and pig and builds up to blends, digraphs and long vowels.

About the game

How to play

1. Look and listen. A picture appears and the game says the word.
2. Tap the letters. Tap the tiles in order to fill the boxes. Use Undo to take one back.
3. Sound it out. Tap Sound it out to hear the word slowly, one sound at a time.
4. Build the level. Eight words finish a level and unlock the next one.

For parents: what Word Builder practices

Word Builder practices segmenting, which means hearing each sound in a word, and writing a letter for every sound. It's the spelling side of phonics. It pairs with:

• CVC words
• Short vowels
• Consonant blends
• Digraphs
• Silent e

Common Core: RF.K.2d (isolate sounds in CVC words), RF.K.3b, RF.1.3a–c (short and long vowels, digraphs), L.K.2d and L.1.2d (spell words by sound).

Getting the most out of it

• Before tapping, have your child tap the table once for each sound: c-a-t is three taps.
• If a letter bounces back, say the word slowly together and listen for the sound that's missing.
• After playing, write two of the words on paper from memory.

Games are best as a reward or a warm-up, not the main lesson. Ten minutes of play after a short lesson works better than an hour of play on its own.

More games

• Syllable DrumDrum once for each syllable in a word.Kindergarten–1st grade
• Sight Word SplashTap the sight word you hear as it pops up.Kindergarten–2nd grade
• Rhyme RocketTap the picture that rhymes to fuel the rocket.Kindergarten–1st grade

All games

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask