The card word is what joins the chain
If the chain ends in casa and the candidate word is sapo, check sa–sa. Saying el sapo to describe the picture adds another word: el begins with a different syllable. Before deciding that the link fails, separate the picture description from the actual word being played.
Alicia links the last syllable of one Spanish word to the first syllable of the next. Words remain visible when optional audio is off. This guide uses an original language example; it does not claim that a particular hand contains these cards.
Describing the picture and playing the word
A child might point to a picture and say el sapo, meaning “the toad.” An adult can acknowledge that identification and return to the displayed word: “Yes, you spotted a toad. The word here is sapo. How does it begin?”
Check the link in this order:
- Read the last chain word: ca-sa.
- Find the complete word shown on the candidate card: sa-po.
- Compare the end of casa with the beginning of sapo: sa with sa.
- Check the following link from po, rather than continuing to use casa as the starting point.
This is not a rule against articles in conversation. El sapo is an ordinary phrase outside the word being played. The check prevents an extra word used to describe a picture from accidentally becoming part of the answer.
Support the choice without making it
In family mode, Peque chooses from three illustrated, syllable-marked cards, while Adulto has six text cards. The cooperative chain reaches ten links. After each correct adult play, Peque checks the syllable connection. This guide preserves those roles; it does not add cards or a control for removing words.
If no available card starts with the required syllable, inventing a card does not solve that hand. The explanation helps read an option that actually exists. Try asking what word is shown before supplying the whole answer, and let the child check its opening at their own pace; Alicia has no timers.
Keep the Spanish words
Casa ends in sa and sapo starts with sa. Translating them to house and toad breaks the example. The English guide therefore keeps the Spanish words and explains them. This is a game decision, not a reading assessment or a promised educational outcome.
Alicia is in development for Android, with no public download yet. Read the product facts and family presentation. When considering the game, check its roles and optional audio. When explaining a chain, first separate the word being played from the words used to describe it.