Definition
An electronic learning toy from the 1970s that pronounced words and challenged users to spell them correctly by pressing letter buttons. It featured a distinctive robotic voice and became iconic for its educational interactivity and somewhat eerie sound effects.
Example Usage
My parents still talk about how the Speak & Spell taught them to spell when they were kids.
Origin
Manufactured by Texas Instruments starting in 1978; the name combines its two core functions: speaking words aloud and enabling spelling practice.
Fun Fact
The Speak & Spell's synthesized voice was used as the model for the alien voice in the 1982 film E.T.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
Related Terms
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