Sound on Spellzone

Sound features in Spellzone use HTML5 audio, JavaScript and HTML5 speech synthesis.

Activities such as Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check, Listen and Spell and the Spellzone games use HTML5 speech synthesis. Spelling Course and Spelling Ability Test voices are recorded.

Speech synthesis

Speech synthesis is used in the word list activities.

Quality of speech synthesis

Voice synthesis on Spellzone is generated in the browser of your device and therefore the quality of the voice depends on both the device and browser used. For the best voice quality we recommend using Google Chrome.

Speech synthesis is not working

If you can see a speaker icon below click on it to test speech synthesis:

If you cannot see the speaker icon above or hear the sounds first check your browser is updated. For a list of suggested browsers click here.

If your sound still doesn't work then check below that JavaScript is enabled.

Is JavaScript enabled?

No

If JavaScript is enabled and you can't hear the sounds we recommend using Google Chrome which will support all sounds used in Spellzone and we believe provides the best speech synthesis. Also check that your browser version is up to date. Check here for browsers that support speech synthesis.

Browsers may not play sound automatically and you may need to click on the icon to play the sound. This is a browser security feature and as you use Spellzone the sounds may later play automatically. This can occur on any platform but is more likely on mobile devices.

HTML5 audio

HTML5 audio or recorded audio is used on Spelling Course pages and the Spelling Ability Test.

Some school networks may block these files along with other media files. Click here to test an audio file. You can also try accessing the audio file outside of your school network to see if this makes a difference. If you suspect your school network is blocking the audio files you should ask your IT support to add www.spellzone.com to enable mp3 or media files for www.spellzone.com.

Still having problems with sound?

  • Check that your speakers are plugged in and switched on.
  • Click on the volume control (normally on the bottom right of the taskbar). The slider should be set to at least half-way.
  • Make sure the 'Mute' box on the volume control is unchecked.
  • If you are on an iPhone, ensure that the Silent switch is off (the Ring/Silent switch is on the left side of your iPhone)

Regional accents

We offer US and British voices. Select a different voice in My details.

On mobile devices you may find that the voice defaults to a US voice regardless of your Spellzone voice settings. It should be possible to select the voice you require using the text to speech settings within the regional and language section of your device settings.

Adding and changing regional accents on your device

If changing the voice in Spellzone does not work it may be because the voice is not available on your device. Follow the instructions below to add voices on your device.

Also note that choosing an accent other than US or British accents may mean the accent is not utilised by Spellzone.

Regional accents on Chromebooks ▼

Regional accents on Android devices ▼

Regional accents on iOS devices ▼

Regional accents on Windows 10 ▼

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testimonials


"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill