How to play Spellmates
Spellmates is a free multiplayer spelling game for phones and one shared screen. One person spells, everyone else tries to make it impossible. Here is the whole game in six steps.
The 30-second walkthrough
Join at spellmates.app
Waiting for players…
Put it on the big screen
Cast or AirPlay the tab to the TV — a laptop works too. The big screen is the board, phones are the controllers.
Setting up a game
- 1
Cast the board to a TV
Open Spellmates on a laptop or TV browser and start a game. The big screen shows the word, the timer and the scoreboard.
- 2
Everyone joins with a code
Players scan the QR code or type the 4-letter room code on their phone. No app, no account, no sign-up.
- 3
The speller turns around
The phone reads the word out loud to the speller only. Everyone else sees the word and definition on the big screen.
- 4
The audience sabotages
Before the speller types, the room can arm sabotages: no definition, 15 seconds, spell it backward, or two words instead of one.
- 5
Spell it and score
Letters are checked automatically. Speed and streaks add bonus points; misses cost you (or, in Spell It or Sip It, cost a sip).
- 6
Somebody gets a title
After the last round the leaderboard hands out awards — Supreme Speller, Autocorrect Dependent and worse.
Game modes
Classic Points
Spell it, bank it
Nobody goes home. Highest score after the final word wins.
Winner: Supreme Speller
Survivor
Miss it, you're out
Every miss knocks you out (or costs a life). Last speller standing wins.
Winner: Last One Standing
Spell It or Sip It
Miss a word, take a sip
Levels instead of rounds. Misses cost sips, points still decide the winner.
Winner: Stone Cold Sober Champion · Plus
Every sabotage explained
No Definition
The speller cannot ask what the word means.
One More Time
The word can only be repeated once.
Speed Spell
{seconds} seconds on the clock.
Spell Backward
Last letter first, all the way to the front.
Double Trouble
Two words back to back. Both must be right.
Difficulty Spike
The word jumps one level harder.
No Restarting
Letters lock as they're typed — no going back.
Poker Face
The room can't see the letters land.
Silent Host
A robot reads the word instead of the host.
Questions people ask
- Is Spellmates free to play?
- How many people can play?
- Do players need to download an app?
- Can we play remotely over video call?
- Is it good for classrooms or kids?
Ready to ruin a friendship?
Free to play in the browser. No downloads, no accounts — cast one screen and everyone joins with a 4-letter code.