ESL Spelling Games

This entertaining ESL spelling game is useful for practicing the spelling of recently studied vocabulary. Teams sit down in rows facing the board. There are two actions that the students need to know before playing the game. 'Tapping the shoulder'... read more

Here is an amusing team game for practicing spelling. One player from each team to comes to the front of the class. Give each player a marker or chalk. Each player then stands a meter or two from the board... read more

Here is a fun game to help students revise spelling. Position two desks at the front of the class and place a pair of chopsticks on each desk. Spread out a set of letter cards on the floor near each desk. Allocate a desk and set of cards to each team. Call out... read more

Here is an enjoyable spelling game to play in class with elementary students. Draw three flowers on the board. The flowers should have six petals each. Write a letter in the centre of each flower and write one... read more

This is an engaging ESL spelling game for students of all ages. A player from each team comes to the board. Spell a jumbled word to the two players. The players write the jumbled word on the board and race to put the letters in the right order. The first... read more

This ESL spelling game can be used to review vocabulary. Call out a student number. The two students with that number come to the board. Ask the two students if they want to spell or draw. Once the... read more

Here is a Tic-Tac-Toe style spelling game to help students revise vocabulary. Draw a three-by-three grid on the board and write a different letter in each square. One team chooses a letter from the grid. Give the team a word to spell that begins... read more

Here is an elimination-style spelling game for students of all ages. Draw an elimination chart on the board for the number of students in the class. Each student then competes against the classmate they are paired up with in the chart. The competing pairs take... read more

Here is an energetic spelling game to play with large classes. Each team stands in a line in front of the board. Hold up a flashcard or picture of the word you want the teams to spell. The first student in each team runs to the board and writes the first... read more

Here is a highly-amusing game for revising spelling. Teams sit in rows facing the board. Give the teams a word to spell. Teams then take it in turns to attempt to spell the word. The student at the front of each team always starts with the first letter of... read more

This entertaining game is ideal for revising spelling and categories of words. Draw four ladders on the board. Each ladder should have six rungs. Teams line up in front of their ladder. Choose a category... read more

This is a quick ESL spelling game that is very simple to set up and play. All the students stand up. One student begins by saying a word in English. The next student must then say a word that begins with... read more

Here is a fast-paced spelling game based on the game football. Create a space in the classroom to play the game. Give a ball to a player in the starting team. The player starts the game by saying a letter, e.g. s. The player then throws the ball to a... read more