Spelling is not as simple as it may seem. Teaching it effectively requires a wide range of activities and various learning experiences for kids, and spelling computer software can be an essential part of this repertoire. Research has shown that teaching spelling using ICT has been as effective as using traditional methods, and in addition to that benefit, the use of ICT can also be highly motivational for kids and save valuable teacher time.

The use of the Ultimate Spelling Software, for instance, enables a child to work on spelling lists on her own, with only minimal guidance from a parent or teacher. It has various features that would stimulate a child's interest, such as illustrations of the words and standard audio pronunciations for more than 20,000 words. This can successfully replace a human pronouncing the words to be learned one by one, thus giving the user a free hand in controlling the pace of her learning.

Software should in no way replace classroom instruction; rather, it serves to supplement whatever the student learns in school and significantly adds to her understanding of the words. In a landmark study of 1,601 African-American public school children attending kindergarten and first grade, results indicated that "access to and use of a home computer, computer area in classrooms, child/computer ratio, software, and computers in school were positively correlated with academic achievement". Spelling computer software, then, can be expected to dramatically improve a child's spelling proficiency.

As the kind of software used by children provides varied educational outcomes, it is important for parents and educators to select the appropriate spelling computer software to enhance their skills. The spelling lists, such as those in the Ultimate Spelling Software, should be appropriate for their skill levels and it should be flexible enough to allow children to move on to more advanced levels once the most basic levels have been mastered.

The element of fun should also be incorporated into spelling software and other educational software, for that matter. Games are highly motivating for kids and keep them engaged for hours on end. In terms of customization, the children should be allowed to create their own spelling lists - preferably of words that are most problematic to them, on which they should spend greater time for mastery.

Finally, the spelling computer software that should be chosen for children must be able to offer multiple usages of the word they are studying to enable them to apply that word for everyday use, as ordinary dictionaries are certainly inadequate for this purpose.