SPELL — SEE IT. HEAR IT. SPELL IT! 💙
One little word. One clever link. A whole lot of magic.
I've been having an absolute blast developing one of my BluSup applications, and I think it's finally time to introduce it properly.
It's called SPELL.
And like so many things I've built over the years, it started with a simple idea and turned into something considerably more interesting.
What if you could enter a word, a name, a phone number, or an entire phrase, then watch it come alive, one character at a time, while a voice spells it aloud?
That's Spell.
But there's a lot more going on under the hood than you might imagine.
WATCH THE LETTERS COME ALIVE
When you open Spell, you're greeted by a big, beautiful display of your word or phrase.
Choose a voice, press PLAY, and the show begins.
Each character rises as it's spoken. A little underline travels along beneath the letters, showing exactly where you are in the playback.
It's a synchronized performance of movement, sound, and timing.
And because I'm a fanatic about little details, we've spent considerable time getting those animations just right.
You can PAUSE, let the current character finish, and then RESUME from the next one. You can even change voices in the middle of playback without starting over.
When the spelling is finished, Spell speaks the complete word or phrase, and that traveling underline gracefully disappears.
I love that little detail.
MEET THE VOICES
We experimented with several voices before settling on a simpler arrangement:
- Female Voice — Clear, friendly, and expressive.
- Male Voice — A different personality for the same words.
- Random — Because sometimes a little unpredictability is fun!
Want to hear the same phrase differently?
Just change voices.
No need to recreate anything.
THE MAGIC IS IN THE URL
Now here's the part that really tickles the old programmer in me.
Every phrase can become its own playable web address.
Suppose I create:
HELLO SHELBY!
Instead of placing those readable words into the web address, Spell converts them into an encoded value.
The resulting address looks something like this:
The `v=` tells Spell which voice to use:
1 = Female | 2 = Male | 3 = Random
The `w=` carries the encoded word or phrase.
When someone opens the link, Spell unpacks the phrase in their browser and prepares it for playback.
No account required. No List required. No special Show record to maintain.
Just one phrase, one voice selection, and one playable URL.
The encoded address hides the readable phrase from casual inspection, although it isn't encryption or password protection.
And here's another neat trick: change the `v=` number and you've got the same phrase in another voice!
That's my kind of programming.
TRY SPELL FOR YOURSELF!
I've created a special demonstration to show what Spell can do.
🎬 OUR FEATURED SPELL DEMONSTRATION**
Phrase: [80 and Still Making Magic]
▶ PLAY THE DEMONSTRATION: [https://blusup.com/spell/?v=3&w=1.UUA4THSU872y3sz6lQkNMidSWAJngrOrwg]
Click the link, watch the animation, listen to the voices, try PAUSE and RESUME, and switch voices while the spelling is underway.
Then create something of your own!
You can also open Spell directly:
MAKE YOUR OWN WORDS AND PHRASES
Spell has a NEW PHRASE feature that makes creating something wonderfully simple.
Type what you want to spell, choose a voice, and press PLAY.
Your phrase appears on the screen, and its playable URL updates automatically.
You can copy that address, send it to a friend, put it in a message, or save it as a browser bookmark.
And here's something I particularly like:
You don't have to save anything just to play it or share it.
The URL itself does the job.
BUILD YOUR OWN LISTS
Of course, sometimes you want to keep a collection of words and phrases.
That's where Lists come in.
Create a List for family names, phone numbers, spelling practice, favorite expressions, or anything else you can dream up.
You can add new phrases, edit existing ones, give them optional descriptive titles, and remove entries you no longer need.
Those titles are especially useful for things like phone numbers.
Instead of trying to remember whose number is whose, I can give an entry a title like Shelby's Number.
A little organization goes a long way.
KEEP YOUR CREATIONS
Spell normally keeps personal Lists in your browser.
But what happens if you get a new computer, clear your browser data, or want a more dependable place for your creations?
We've thought about that, too.
In Chrome and Edge, Spell offers an optional portable library file called:
`spell-library.json`
You choose where to create it, and Spell saves your current Lists there.
Once connected, future List changes update the file automatically while the browser grants write permission.
If you move to another computer, you can copy the file and reconnect it.
No BluSup account required. No server database filled with your personal Lists.
The file belongs to you.
And if you're just visiting Spell to play somebody else's shared phrase?
You don't need to worry about any of this.
Just enjoy the show.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH SPELL?
I've already started experimenting with phone numbers, names, and little messages, but the possibilities are much broader.
Imagine a grandparent sending a grandchild a personalized spelling message.
A teacher helping students practice spelling and letter recognition.
Someone learning English who wants to see and hear each character.
A child learning to recognize numbers.
A friend sending a birthday greeting.
Or somebody like me, who simply likes taking ordinary words and turning them into something entertaining.
Spell isn't intended to replace traditional learning tools or text-to-speech applications.
It's something a little different.
It makes spelling visible, audible, interactive, and shareable.
THE FUN OF BUILDING SOMETHING
Those of you who follow my blog know I've been programming since 1969.
That's a long time to spend talking to computers.
But here I am, at 80 years old, still designing applications, still experimenting, still discovering things that make me grin like a kid.
And I certainly haven't been working alone.
My AI partner Blue and I have spent hours refining Spell, fixing bugs, adjusting timing, improving navigation, simplifying voices, and arguing with little details that nobody else might even notice.
But I notice.
And when everything finally comes together—when the letters dance, the underline follows, the voices sound right, and the whole thing works beautifully—
Well...
BLUOOOOOOOM!!!
That's the sound of a happy old programmer.
Spell has become one of those projects that reminds me why I fell in love with programming in the first place.
You imagine something.
You build it.
You make mistakes.
You fix them.
You make it better.
And then one day you sit back, click PLAY, and realize you've created something you're genuinely proud of.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
I'd love for you to give Spell a try.
Make a word. Spell a name. Send somebody a message. Create a List.
It's free to explore, and you don't need an account just to play.
I hope you have as much fun using it as I've had building it.
Peace, Power, Purpose, Pride — and BluTeam! 💙
Jim Hamilton
October 19, 2026
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