All About Spelling vs Using Language Well
The sharpest difference is faith content: All About Spelling is None, Using Language Well is Light. Three more attributes come apart too.
At a glance
All About Spelling
Grades 1-12
Owners report it suits
Struggling learnersHands-on learnersDyslexia2eUsing Language Well
Grades 3-10
Owners report it suits
Multi-age familiesReluctant learnersWhere they differ
| Attribute | All About Spelling | Using Language Well |
|---|---|---|
Parent involvement
?How much the parent is present and teaching. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:
|
|
|
| Faith content | None | Light |
| Approach | Mastery | Blended |
| Format | Hands-on | Workbook |
| Best for Tags show where owners consistently report a good fit. They are not exclusions. | Struggling learnersHands-on learnersDyslexia2e | Multi-age familiesReluctant learners |
| Method | TraditionalClassicalEclecticOrton-Gillingham | Charlotte MasonCopywork and dictationLiterature-basedTraditional grammar |
| Grades | 1-12 | 3-10 |
Solid tags are unique to that program. Muted tags are carried by both.
Where they match
- Rigorboth on grade
- Prep loadboth open-and-go
- Screen timeboth fully offline
- Independenceboth guided
- Time commitmentboth 15 to 25 min
- Used asboth Spine
How each one plays by grade
All About Spelling
Grades 1-12
Everyone starts at Level 1 for the foundational rules, even older kids, then moves at their own speed. Level 7 carries through high school with Latin and Greek roots.
Using Language Well
Grades 3-10
Book 1 starts at third grade and assumes a child can read and transcribe comfortably. Books 2 through 6 climb one grade each to about eighth-grade work, all parent-led dictation. Book 7 is different: ninth and tenth grade, one lesson a week over two years, and the student checks their own answers, so it doesn't need much of you at all.
Cost
| Cost item | All About Spelling | Using Language Well |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.95-69.95/level plus one-time tiles | $28-38/student book, $19-24/teacher book, print bundle ~$56-59/level |
| Consumable | Partial | Yes |
| Per child / year | ~$65-90 first year, ~$50-70/level after | ~$56-59 for the first child at a level, ~$35-38 for each child after since the student book is consumable |
What parents report
All About Spelling
Consistently praised
- Open and go scripting any parent can teach
- Tiles make spelling rules click for hands-on kids
- Move on when mastered pacing
- Reusable across siblings
- Strong for dyslexic and struggling spellers
Reported as challenges
- Teacher-intensive every single day
- Pricey for one subject with an only child
- Tiles and flashcards take storage and table space
- Doing every review activity balloons the lesson
Using Language Well
Consistently praised
- Kids retain far more than they did with word lists
- Grammar, spelling, and writing improve together rather than separately
- Cheap and quick, a couple lessons a week
- Teaches punctuation and history alongside spelling
- Passages are worth reading instead of boring drills
Reported as challenges
- Parent has to sit and dictate, so it is not hands-off
- No spelling rules or phonics, which some kids want
- A few families found the passages dry
- Not built for dyslexia or heavy remediation
Who All About Spelling fits
A structured, multisensory spelling spine for families who'll sit down and teach it daily, and it's the common pick for a struggling or dyslexic speller. Parents who want a hands-off or independent workbook a child does alone should go a different direction.
Read the full All About Spelling entry Check price All About Learning PressWho Using Language Well fits
Charlotte Mason and literature-minded families who want spelling, grammar, and usage taught together from real passages, and who don't mind leading dictation a couple times a week. Families who want explicit phonics rules, a scripted mastery sequence, or dyslexia remediation should look at All About Spelling instead.
Read the full Using Language Well entry Check price Simply Charlotte MasonSome links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes how a curriculum is described or scored.
Still deciding?
All About Spelling compared with
Using Language Well compared with
Descriptions aggregate what homeschool parents consistently report across public community sources together with each publisher's own materials. Prices and editions change over time. Both entries last reviewed August 2026.