Words and folders
Amalino starts with a full vocabulary in six languages: about 2,600 words. Not all of them are shown at once. This page explains how the words are organised and how to show more as the child grows.
Core words and folders
The main board holds the core words: small, everyday words like "I", "want", "more", "go", "not", "help" and "like". A few hundred core words make up most of what people say every day, so the child can say a lot with them.
Folders hold the rest: food, places, people, feelings, toys and more. A folder button has a folded corner and opens a page of related words.
Board size
The board size (Grid size) is how many buttons fit on one page:
- 20: large buttons, easier to hit
- 36: medium, a good start for most young children
- 60: smaller, more words on one page
- 84: small, for confident users
Setup suggests a size from the child's age and touch. Each device offers only the sizes where every button stays at least 44 points across, a comfortable size to tap.
Try to keep the same size. Changing it moves words to new places, and the child has to learn them again. Amalino asks you to confirm and makes a backup first. Grow the board by showing more words instead.
Words never move
Every word has its own place, and it keeps it. When a word is hidden, its place stays empty; when it's shown later, it appears there. Nothing shifts to make room.
Vocabulary level
Settings → Display, hearing and sensory → Vocabulary level decides how many words appear in the folders:
- Level 1: about 400 words, core words and first words in folders
- Level 2: about 1,500 words, with more folders
- Level 3: all words (about 2,600)
A level only shows or hides words in folders. Core words on the main board follow Reveal words (below).
Showing, dimming and hiding words
Each button can be:
- Visible: shown normally.
- Dimmed: shown faintly. It still works. Useful for words you're starting to model.
- Hidden: its place looks empty to the child.
To change many words at once, open the grown-up controls and choose Reveal words. It shows the current board with a count of visible, dimmed and hidden words. Tap words to select them, then tap Visible, Dimmed or Hidden.
Suggested next words offers a few words to show next; tap Reveal to show them all.
To change one word, edit its button and choose Shown to the child. See Editing and moving buttons.
Tip: Reveal a new word only after you've modelled it many times. In Modelling mode you see the hidden words too, dimmed, so you can keep modelling them.
Finding a word
Can't remember where a word is? In the grown-up controls, choose Show me where and type the word. Amalino shows the path to it, button by button, so you can tap it yourself while you talk.
Your own words
You can add words, change pictures, record your own voice for a word, and make new folders. See Editing and moving buttons.
Next: Quick phrases and More.