4 tools to create word clouds for the class.

Last updated on 12 May 2026

Word clouds generated automatically from text or manually are increasingly used by teachers. Apart from the fact that they are in the clouds and therefore accessible from everywhere, they offer many possible uses in the classroom.

They can be used to make learn vocabulary, create posters to be displayed in class, analyse the passage of a text or as a support for a brainstorming …or create with the first names of all your students a cloud of all the members of a group. This type of tool adapts to a multitude of situations. Here are four TICE online tools that make it possible to create word clouds for the class :

Wordle. It is arguably one of the best known. Wordle is a tool that will automatically generate word clouds from a text that you will copy to the site. You can also indicate the URL of a web page. Wordle will immediately offer you a cloud with words whose size will be proportional to their frequency in the text. You will be able to play with the size, font, color and shape of your cloud and retrieve an image once the cloud vote is over. Link: Wordle.

WordSift. This online tool was developed at Stanford University. Like the others, just paste your text on the homepage of the site. Automatically you will have a word cloud that will be displayed immediately. Wordsift has some pretty interesting additional functions. By clicking on each word, Wordsift offers you a series of images. Not bad for learning and retaining English words for example. You can also vary the display of your cloud by asking for words to appear in simple or reverse alphabetical order. Link: WordSift.

WordItOut. This online service is free like all other services on this list. However, WordItOut offers you to print your word cloud on a T-shirt or mug if you want to. To get your word or tag cloud, you need to paste your text or indicate a URL from which WordItOut will extract what to draw your cloud from. To customize your creation, you can use the Random function that redraws on the fly and randomly styles the same cloud. But you can also dive into a configuration dashboard complete enough to get a perfectly customized cloud. Link: WordItOut.

AbCya. Here is one of the tools on this list best suited for use by children themselves. A playful and colorful interface and clear ergonomics will make it possible to put this tool in all hands. The clouds created are pretty. And a button makes it possible to simply edit the cloud by deleting words, for example, or by reducing the number of words taken into account. The child will be able to save his creation on his computer, i.e. print it with a single click. Link: AbCya