What is this app?
Developed by MLCO Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service. Free to use by Manchester schools. Version 1.0 contains 3,603 quality-assured curriculum words covering ages 3-11.
What kind of words are in the database?
The database holds curriculum vocabulary of two kinds. Most words are cross-curricular: useful words that turn up across many subjects and in everyday talk, such as compare, gradual, reluctant and significant. These are the most useful words to learn, because a child comes across them again and again in different lessons.
The database also includes subject words that belong mainly to one area of the curriculum but are important to know, such as photosynthesis, perimeter, conjunction, igneous and algorithm. This includes the words used to talk about learning itself, for example noun, prefix, synonym and symmetrical.
The database does not aim to cover every word a child will come across. It is a starting point, and the practitioner chooses which words are worth teaching to the child in front of them. If a word is not in the database you can still type it in and build the web together.
This is an interactive word web
All fields on the word web are editable. Pre-populated fields (definition, synonym, first sound, last sound, syllables, example sentence) load from the vocabulary database but can be changed by the practitioner during a session. This is useful for simplifying a definition or adapting content for a specific child. The thinking bubbles (Anything else?) are for the child and adult to complete together. The syllables bubble shows a count as a starting point, based on how the word is typically said. Syllable counts are not fixed: many words are said differently by different people (for example separate and interesting are commonly said with fewer syllables than the dictionary form). Always clap the word out together, and change the count if it does not match how you say the word. Typed content persists for the session and clears on reload.
An extra 'Anything else?' bubble can be spun on each side of the web using the dashed '+ spin a bubble' buttons, if more space is needed during a session.
Last sound
The last sound bubble shows the final sound of the word. Where the spelling differs from the sound, both are shown. For example, judge ends in the sound 'j', spelled 'dge', shown as dge (j). Past-tense and plural endings keep this pattern (jumped → ed (t), always → s (z)). These are correct and can prompt useful talk about how endings sound. Words ending in a vowel sound are left blank deliberately, for the practitioner and child to explore together using the school's own phonics conventions.
Adding a picture
The 'Picture' button (beneath the word) lets the practitioner add a visual referent for the word: upload an image file, or paste one directly from a symbol package such as Widgit or PCS where the school holds a licence. The picture appears on the web and in the saved PDF. It is held in memory only for the current session: nothing is uploaded or stored, and it clears with the board. Please use symbol or object images rather than photographs of children.
Accessing the word web
Type the word and click 'Catch word!', or use the Word Library (top bar) to browse A-Z.
Act, Say, Draw
Act: act out the word using hands, gesture or body movements. Say: child says the word aloud or uses it within a sentence. Draw: ask child to draw/doodle the word, this builds a personal memory hook.
Saving a PDF
Click 'Save PDF' (top bar, visible once a word is loaded) to download a clean A4 word web including any notes typed during the session.
Clearing the board
Click 'Clear' (top bar) to return to the blank starting state. Session notes for previous words are preserved in memory until the page is closed.
Words not in the database
An amber notice appears if the word is not found. The bloom opens with empty thinking bubbles. Build the whole web together with the child.
Words with more than one meaning
Some words in the database have more than one meaning. For example, light (brightness or low weight), charge (to rush, or an electrical term), grave (serious, or a burial place). Where this is the case, the definition, synonym, and example sentence reflect one meaning only. Practitioners should use their own knowledge to explore other meanings with the child where relevant. This can be a rich vocabulary discussion in itself.
Trauma-informed use
In line with a trauma-informed approach, certain words in the database are flagged with an amber notice beneath the word. This is a prompt for the practitioner to use their clinical judgement, as the word may be sensitive for some children depending on their experience. The flag does not prevent the word from being used.
Development note
The vocabulary database was produced using digital assistance and has been fully moderated by speech and language therapists and speech and language therapy students. Every word has been checked for how suitable it is to teach, how clear the definition is for a child, and whether the definition matches the example sentence. Inter-rater reliability checks were carried out to confirm that reviewers were judging consistently.
Telling us about an error
With a database of this size, a small number of entries may still read oddly: a definition that does not quite match its example, or a syllable count that differs from how you say the word. Every field is editable, so change anything that does not fit the child in front of you. If you spot something, please tell us at slt.admin@mft.nhs.uk and we will correct it in the next release. Reports from practitioners are the most useful way of improving the tool.
Security and GDPR
Entirely self-contained, no external APIs, no logins, no data transmitted anywhere. Questions or errors: slt.admin@mft.nhs.uk
This file and its contents are the sole property of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. No permission is granted for the copying, duplication, or unauthorised distribution of this HTML file.