lot of profanity were bleeped.
WordGirl
(Rated TV-Y7, Kids and animation, Starring Dannah Feinglass, Jeffrey Tambor, Tom Kenny, Where to watch: PBS Kids)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Brainy heroine uses vocab to outwit bad guys.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of WordGirl was written by Emily Ashby
Parents need to know that this entertaining animated series introduces grade-schoolers to the pronunciations and definitions of advanced vocabulary words like "temptation," "gigantic," and "vegetarian." There's a little bit of cartoon violence, but that pales in comparison to the fact that kid viewers will unknowingly expand their literary repertoire while enjoying the empowered young superheroine's adventures.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about literacy skills. Kids: How does being familiar with more words help you in school? Does not knowing a particular word ever trip you up? What do you do then? Parents can also talk to kids about the power of words. What types of words can hurt other people? What types can help? Is it possible to resolve differences with words alone?
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More on WordGirl
What’s the Story?
In WORDGIRL, a heroic grade-schooler uses her proficiency with the English language to rid her hometown of nefarious intruders. To any onlooker, spunky girl next door Becky Botsford (voiced by Dannah Feinglass) seems no different from her fifth-grade peers. But when trouble strikes, Becky's caped alter ego WordGirl zooms off her monkey sidekick, Captain Huggy Face, to oust the bad guys with her double whammy of brawns and brain. Though she does employ her super strength at times (after all, what else is a girl with a leveling left hook to do?), WordGirl relies more on her grasp of the English language to outwit her vocabulary-challenged opponents.
Is It Any Good?
WordGirl mimics the well-trodden path of most superhero cartoons. But the notable difference here is that, instead of firepower, WordGirl's most trusted weapons are entries on advanced vocabulary lists, which she uses to trip up her enemies. She'll often befuddle them with challenges to name synonyms or definitions for the words she uses, or they'll get distracted by their unfamiliarity with her word choice. Not only will her zany adventures entertain young viewers, but they'll also increase kids' vocabulary skills and improve their reading comprehension.
Engaging and well crafted, WordGirl combines fun stories, zany characters, and important literacy skills into a 30-minute package that kids will love and parents will applaud. As superhero stories go, this one comes up short on violence (what little there is is of the exaggerated WHAM! BANG! variety). Even better, it revolves around a brainy, well-spoken female heroine. All in all, WordGirl is an excellent (superb, first-rate, stupendous, etc.) choice for young grade-schoolers.
Our Members Say
See 21 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
the word "***' the a-word and "*****" the N word are unbleeped
This review...
Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind -
Kids ages: 5
I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Not bad. Does deal with interesting issues. What spoils the show for me is the fact that it tries to cater so heavily to parents sense of humor. Focus on kids, forget about being "smart" so as to keep parents amused.
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Kids ages: 7I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
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Kids ages: 2
I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Not educational and not appropriate for kids under 7
Hate it. Watched it attentively 3 times and browsed at it several other times. The supposedly educational content is practically non-existent - one or two few new words per episode for a lot of stressfull situations with yelling characters! It is practically the same kind of animations like Pokemon, Ben 10 and these other super heroes fighting the evil; I don't see why it was ever sold as educational or appropriate for pre-school.
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Favorite show, Builds great learning skills
Excellent show. Although my parents are a little iffy about it, (They don't like the fact that WordGirl lies all the time to protect her secret identity) I think its awesome. So fun and I find myself repeating the vocabulary maybe a little too much, enough to annoy my parents.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 27% | of parents say it's too violent |
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