The Best Free Online Syllable Games

One of the more advanced reading skills, after students have mastered sound blending, digraphs and long vowels, is the use of syllables. These are a tricky concept not least because of word stress and syllable stress. However before any student gets to this stage they have to learn what are syllables.

Teaching Syllables using online games is another tool in an English teacher’s toolkit. It adds a more interactive element to lessons and homework. Effective online Syllable games incorporate both syllable recognition and construction exercises allowing students to practice and consolidate these skills.

Learning how to teach syllables will open up a whole world of reading for your students, it allows them to develop skills to tackle longer and more complex vocabulary. They will spend less time trying to decode words and instead start to move from learning to read to reading to learn.

It really is one of my favorite things to teach to see the progress they make in just a few short lessons. How ever there does need to be a little thought in presenting this so students can maximize their use. We have articles covering how to teach syllables on the site and we also have plenty of resources to print, read and use here as well.

This article will focus on one aspect of teaching this tricky but important English skill. We have linked throughout to our printable resources and games, but this article will highlight the best of the Online Syllable games we have found, used and can recommend to other parents and teachers.

We also have articles and guides on the best games for other English and Phonics subjects as well. These include:

• Best FREE Online CVC Games
• Best FREE Online Digraph Games
• Best FREE Online Short Vowels Games
• Best FREE Online Long Vowels Games
• Best FREE Online Rhyming Games
• Best FREE Online Sentence games
• Best Free Online Prepositions Games

Online Syllable Games

The following online syllable games are detailed and linked to below. You can click the title, the picture or the button to take you to the game and the hosting site! Hope they are useful and happy teaching!

All of these have been tested by teachers and are working. None are Flash (or if they are are, they are still working!)

• Vocabulary Spelling City: Silly Bulls Online Game
• Making English Fun: Word Hop and Pop
• Abcya: AlphaBats: Online Syllable Game
• Education.com: Floyd Danger Syllable Game
• Room Recess: Bunny Hop Syllables
• Education.com: Syllable Quiz / Count the Syllables
• iPad thinker.com: Saucer Syllables
• Room Recess: Syllable Slurp

Silly Bulls – Vocabulary Spelling City

This is a lovely well animated online syllable game that asked students to both listen and read word up to four syllables and categorize it in the correct part of the barn. It is a nice touch to have the speech reading these as well, which means it could be sent home and played by students.

It also has topics and choices for teachers to choose from. These range from words with 1 to 5 syllables and you can choose whichever is suitable for your students.

Features

• Great animation and gameplay for students on their own or in classrooms
• 5 different levels to choose from
• Can’t add your own words, or choose beyond these 5 lists.
• Playable full screen on whiteboards and Computers

Word Hop and Pop – Making English Fun

This is our most popular FREE online phonics Game. It actually has two games, a listening and matching game that covers 8 Phonics subjects. The other game asks students, younger ages are more suited, to match the word with the floating words. Although this a full spectrum phonics game it also has two online syllable games inside it.

This really is a Full English Phonics game in One App! , ABC, Phonics, Blends, Magic E and Sight words. ABC , CVC, Vowel, English Blends, Magic E, Syllables and sight words all wrapped up in one easy to use English Word and phonics game. This is great for playing on your own or on a white board for your class.

The syllables game is one both panda pop and Birdy hop with Birdy hop including the word being spoken and then students having to recognize which word to jump to by both listening and reading the words on the could. We have a Video demo of this here.

Features:

• 8 versions of 2 phonics games.
• Syllables jumping game and matching games included
• Free to play (forever)
• Great for home computers and whiteboard / projectors in classrooms

Alphabats – ABCYA

ABCYA make great games, and although they hide some behind a paywall, this online syllable game we found, and use for free. It is more tricky than the two previous games. This game asks students to look, read and/or listen to a word that has the same number of syllables than the bat on the top branch. Not as easy as it looks!

The game is not that long but achieves its aim. Students get to think about how syllables make words. There is also a collect the fireflies game at the end they have put in just for fun.

Features:

• A different type of count the syllable game asking students to match words by syllable count.
• Cute graphics
• Limited game play, will work for a classroom activity more than a play at home one.
• Not flash, so still works!!

Floyd Danger – Education.com

Education.com make some lovely games, and although there is a sign in requirement for the two on this page you can play for free a couple of times so if you are doing it for your class it should be ok.

This online syllable game is similar to a sentence game they have on their site, the students has to run and collect coins until they get to a wall. on the wall there are 3 words. They have to cut the words into their syllables. This is a nice touch as it actually gets students thinking about the sounds in each syllable. This will help with both spelling and reading.

Sometimes it is difficult to help students understand how to make a syllable ( always a vowel sound inside) and this is one that can help to teach that concept.

• It is very engaging and very well made syllable game
• If you want to play more than a couple of times it will require a subscription
• Great visuals for students
• Its game play is good for team games in classrooms.
• It gets students thinking about how to make a syllable.

Bunny Syllables – Room Recess

This game is a little basic looking but works well. It is designed in the same was as an old platform game like Mario Bros or similar. The student simply has to hop around and collect the eggs that match the number of syllables in the displayed word.

It has multiple levels and you can choose if you want 1-2 syllables or 1-4 which extends the age ranges or ability levels this can be used for with out the students being aware they may be playing something different to others in the class.

Features:

• Loads of other games on this site as well as sentences
• Aimed at younger learners
• Real, though basic, gameplay
• plenty of content in the game. will last a good few play throughs.

Count the Syllables – Education.com

I managed to play this 6 times with out the usual message from education.com asking me to become a paid member, i stopped then! It reads the words out to practice listening as well readingskills and is presented in a quiz format.

This asks students to count the syllables in the words and press the correct number. It is nice and simple and would be great for a quick 5 minutes at the end of class to consolidate a syllables lesson. It is not to jazzy as to distract and allows the class to practice the syllables rules they have learnt.

• Simple and effective
• Great for consolidation
• Can play at least 6 times for free ( I tried this!)
• Has a mixture of large and small multi syllable words.

Saucer Syllables – iPad Thinker.com

This online syllable game is pretty basic, and from a few years ago ( by the looks of it at least) however it is only the second one in the list that actually has a focus on spelling of syllables.

This makes it quite useful as often students can count syllables pretty quickly but have more difficultly in spotting what actually makes a syllable or how to spell them. It also has larger words which makes it suitable for older or more advanced English students.

• A little older generation of online syllable game.
• Has longer words suitable for more advanced learners
• Not awesome graphics
• has a focus on spelling syllables which is a great skill to include.

Syllable Slurp – Room Recess

A great online syllable game for classrooms as it keeps on going. It focusses on one and two syllable words. The student has to press one of the four chameleons to catch the fly with with word with the correct number of syllables on it .

I like this one as its colorful and studentfriendly and it also has a speed control for the speed the words fly by. This allows the addition of urgency to the game and you can go crazy and let the words go really fast.

Features:

• Controllable speed for different ability levels
• Great graphics
• Keeps going so great to use in a large class
• Has the option of vowel sounds and nouns and verbs as well.
• One to two syllable words

Final Thoughts

Syllables are a very rewarding step to both teach and for students to learn. It takes a little perseverance to make sure the concept is fully understood but it is worth the effort. As we said it really does open up a world of reading to students and they will progress so much quicker follwoing this.

Of course there are many ways to teach Syllables, we have worksheets, games and more on the site which are linked to here and above. However a great way to introduce and consolidate syllables to students is to use online syllable games in both classrooms and homes.

The more diverse and alternative approaches you can take with education, especially in todays technological world, the more chances you have for both maintaining students interest and for making sure the information sticks!