Dysorthographia: the most effective apps for practice
Spelling practice apps have evolved considerably in recent years. The best combine spaced repetition, gamification and personalisation to make practice both effective and motivating. Here is a selection of the apps best suited to dysorthographic children and adults.
Anki: spaced repetition to memorise words
Anki is the most powerful flashcard app available. It uses a spaced repetition algorithm that presents each word at the optimal moment to maximise long-term memorisation. You can create personalised decks with the words the child finds most difficult to spell, with the word on one side and its correct spelling on the other. Free and available on all platforms, it is the most effective memorisation tool for embedding the spelling of difficult words.
Bescherelle La Conjugaison: for mastering verbs
The official Bescherelle app offers progressive interactive conjugation exercises for all grammatical categories and all tenses. The exercises are contextualised — conjugation within sentences rather than in the abstract — which promotes transfer to spontaneous written production. Progressive difficulty levels make it possible to adapt practice to the child’s level.
Orthodidacte: specially designed for DYS learners
Orthodidacte is a spelling practice software specifically designed for children with DYS disorders. It offers exercises adapted to dysorthographic profiles — work on phonology, word memory, grammatical rules — in a playful and progressive format. It can be used alongside speech and language therapy, with the agreement of the speech and language therapist.
Antidote: the essential spelling assistant
Antidote is not a practice app — it is a correction tool. However, its active and reflective use — reading the explanations for each correction rather than accepting corrections blindly — turns it into a powerful learning tool. By understanding why a word is incorrect, the child gradually strengthens their correct orthographic representations. Available as a desktop version and as a plugin for browsers and office suites.
Interactive dictation apps
Several apps offer interactive dictations — the child listens to a sentence and types it on the keyboard, and the result is corrected immediately with explanations. These apps allow intensive practice in a format that is less anxiety-inducing than traditional dictation. Errors are corrected immediately and in context — which is far more instructive than the delayed correction of paper dictations. For a complete and regularly updated selection of the best apps for DYS children, dystap.io offers practical guides for families and professionals.
