SideNoteFree Language Games
Start a language by hearing and building real words.
SideNote offers free beginner language learning games for English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Cantonese. Listen first, then build words from the writing or sound system used by that language.
Choose your beginner language.
Each language uses a game mechanic that fits its writing and sound system instead of forcing every language into the same five-letter puzzle.
English sound game
Listen to a word and build it from a compact phoneme set, or play the advanced spelling game.
See English game → ESPAÑOLSpanish word game
Listen to everyday Spanish words and reconstruct them from their sounds.
See Spanish game → FRANÇAISFrench listening game
Hear common French words and identify the sound sequence.
See French game → 日本語 · 日语入门Japanese beginner games
Begin with hiragana or katakana listening and everyday Japanese words.
Start Japanese → 한국어 · 韩语入门Korean beginner game
Listen and build everyday Hangul words before moving to Korean idioms.
Start Korean → 中文Chinese pinyin game
Build words from initials, finals, and tones, or solve Chinese idioms.
See Chinese game → 廣東話Cantonese Jyutping game
Match spoken Cantonese with Jyutping syllables and learn native expressions.
See Cantonese game →Beginner learning paths in seven languages.
These games support searches and learning goals such as 英语入门, 西班牙语入门, 法语入门, 日语入门, 平假名入门, 片假名入门, 韩语入门, 中文拼音入门, and 粤拼入门. Each path starts with pronunciation and common words rather than advanced grammar.
How does the SideNote word game work?
Questions about the game
Can I play without signing in?
Yes. Beginner language games can be played in a web browser without an account. Word cards and example-sentence study are Pro features.
Is this the same as Wordle?
It is inspired by word guessing, but SideNote adds listening and adapts the controls to each language. Japanese uses kana, Chinese uses pinyin or zhuyin, and Cantonese uses Jyutping.
Which languages are available?
English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese are currently available.
Start with the language you are learning.
No account is required for beginner games.