A town full of words to tapThe picture dictionary app where kids hear, say and spell every word they find.
Walk into the zoo, the pet shop or your own kitchen. Tap the puppy and it lifts out of the picture with its name, how to say it, and its meaning in your child's language. Learn English, or switch to Chinese with pinyin.
- First level of every place free
- No ads
- iPhone & iPad
- 9places on the map
- 33levels, 3 per place
- 200+everyday words
- 5languages for meanings
- 0ads
Tap it, say it, spell it
Each place is one painted picture with six to ten words hidden in plain sight. A round starts with exploring and ends with your child producing the word on their own.
1Tap to learn
Tap anything in the scene. It lifts out with its word, the sound of it, and the meaning in your child's own language.
2Say it out loud
The app shows an object and listens. Any attempt that matches inside the answer window counts, and the keyboard is there for quiet places.
3Spell it, letter by letter
Hear the word, then type it. There is no timer on spelling, so a five-year-old can take as long as they need.
From the zoo to your own kitchen
Words live where children meet them. Lions and giraffes are at the zoo, bread and a pineapple at the supermarket, a toothbrush in the bathroom at home.
- Zoo
- Pet shop
- Farm
- Hospital
- Supermarket
- Park
- School
- Restaurant
- Home
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Bathroom
Every place has Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels, each with its own picture. Beginner words come from the Cambridge Young Learners starter lists; Advanced reaches words like thermometer and scratching post.
Flashcards that come back on time
At the end of a round your child ticks the words they want to keep. Each one comes back on the day it is due, and the gap grows every time they get it right.
- 1 dayfirst review
- 2 days
- 4 days
- 1 week
- 2 weeks
A few minutes a day is enough. The guide to spaced repetition for kids explains why the gaps grow.
One town, two languages to learn
Learn English words with their sounds, or switch the whole town to Chinese with pinyin and a Find it mode for reading characters. Meanings show in English, Chinese, French, German or Spanish, so a grandparent can play along too.
| English | Chinese | French | German | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dog/dɔːɡ/ | 狗gǒu | chien | Hund | perro |
| cat/kæt/ | 猫māo | chat | Katze | gato |
| rabbit/ˈræbɪt/ | 兔子tù zi | lapin | Kaninchen | conejo |
| ball/bɔːl/ | 球qiú | ballon | Ball | pelota |
| towel/ˈtaʊəl/ | 毛巾máo jīn | serviette | Handtuch | toalla |
| comb/kəʊm/ | 梳子shū zi | peigne | Kamm | peine |
New to Chinese? Read how pinyin and pictures work for beginners.
Just as lovely at night
Turn on dark mode and the whole town switches to night-time art: lit windows, a moon over the zoo, and the same words waiting in every scene. Easier on the eyes before bed.
A kids learning app with no ads
Hand it to your child without hovering. There is nothing to click away to and nobody to chat with.
No ads, no accounts
No banners, no sign-up, no links out of the app. Purchases sit behind Apple's own sheet.
Syncs with iCloud
Progress, flashcards and settings follow your child between iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud.
Their own pace
Pick any level in any place. Spelling has no timer, and missed words become flashcards, not red crosses.
The first level of every place is free. Wordventure Premium unlocks every level in every place, as a monthly or yearly subscription with a free trial for new subscribers. Cancel any time in App Store settings.
Building vocabulary at home
Practical guides on picture word games, spaced repetition, first words and second languages, with sources.
Spaced Repetition for Kids: A Simple Review Schedule
How spaced repetition works for children, what classroom studies found, and a 1, 2, 4, 7 and 14 day word review schedule you can run at home.
7 min read
Picture Vocabulary Activities for Home and Class
Eight picture vocabulary games for children aged 4 and up: I Spy in a scene, Kim's game, memory cards, sorting by place, and drawing and labeling.
6 min read
How to Teach Your Child English at Home (ESL)
A practical plan for teaching a child English as a second language at home: a short daily slot, words from your own rooms, and using your home language.
6 min read
First 100 Words List for Kids, Grouped by Place
A first 100 words list for children aged 4 and up learning English, grouped by place: zoo, farm, supermarket, park, school and three rooms at home.
6 min read
Learn Chinese for Kids with Pinyin and Pictures
How pinyin helps a child start Chinese: what the letters and tone marks mean, when to add characters, and 12 beginner words with pinyin to try.
6 min read
How to Help a Child Pronounce English Words
For children learning English: how to help with pronunciation at home, which sounds are hard, using speech recognition, and when to ask a specialist.
6 min readQuestions parents ask
What age is Wordventure for?
Wordventure is rated 4+ on the App Store. It suits children from about four who are learning their first English words, early readers, and older children learning English or Chinese as a new language. Each place has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so a child can start where the words feel right. Learn more →
Is Wordventure free?
Wordventure is free to download, and the first level of every place is free. Wordventure Premium unlocks the rest and is a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, with a free trial for new subscribers. You can cancel any time in your App Store subscription settings.
Does Wordventure work offline?
Mostly, yes. The scenes, words and pictures are inside the app, so tapping to learn, listening, Spell it and flashcards all work with no connection. Say it uses Apple speech recognition and may need a connection, depending on the device.
Does progress sync between iPhone and iPad?
Yes. Progress, flashcards and settings sync through your own iCloud account, so a child can start on an iPad and carry on with an iPhone. No separate Wordventure account is needed.
Can my child learn Chinese with Wordventure?
Yes. Switch to Chinese and every word in the town shows its characters and pinyin and is spoken aloud. Find it mode shows a character and asks your child to tap the matching object, which is early reading practice. Learn more →
What is spaced repetition, and how do the flashcards work?
Spaced repetition means reviewing a word again after gaps that grow longer each time, which helps it stay in memory. In Wordventure, words your child misses can be kept as flashcards at the end of a round, and each one comes back after a day, two days, four days, a week and two weeks. Learn more →
Is there a kids vocabulary app with no ads?
Wordventure has no ads and does not need an account. It uses Firebase Analytics for in-app events and Crashlytics for crash reports, and the privacy policy lists what is collected.
How do I help my child pronounce English words?
Let your child hear a clear model of each word many times, then say it out loud in short daily practice, and repeat the word correctly in your reply instead of correcting every sound. In Wordventure, Say it listens to your child answer out loud and checks the word with Apple speech recognition. An accent is not a speech problem, but if you have concerns about speech, talk to a speech-language pathologist. Learn more →
How can I teach my child English at home if my own English is not perfect?
Your enthusiasm matters more than your accent. Pick a short daily time, name the things in your own rooms in English, and use recorded audio or an app as the pronunciation model. Wordventure shows each word with its meaning in English, Chinese, French, German or Spanish, so your home language can help. Learn more →
The puppy in the pet shop is waiting to be tapped
Nine places, 200+ words, English or Chinese. Free to download, and the first level of every place is free.
Download on theApp Store