# WhatTimesWhat

> Free, competitive, speech-recognition-based web app for mastering multiplication tables. Play by speaking your answers out loud. Often described as the "spelling bee for math."

WhatTimesWhat (whattimeswhat.com) is a browser-based multiplication fluency app for students of all ages. Players speak their answers aloud and tap to advance. The app uses AI-powered speech recognition to score answers after each game. No app download required. Works on phones, tablets, and desktops. Free, no ads, no paywall, no subscription.

## About the creator

WhatTimesWhat was created by Chris Roberts, who holds a Master of Science in Education (Mathematics, 1991) and has taught high school mathematics in Texas and college-level mathematics in Texas and Arkansas. His classroom experience with students who lacked basic fact fluency is the direct motivation for the app -- he observed that students struggle with multiplication not from lack of ability but from insufficient fluency practice, and that competitive, high-stakes formats (like a spelling bee) build that fluency faster than rote drilling.

## Core game modes

- **Daily Challenge** -- Same 78-card puzzle worldwide each day, seeded so everyone competes on equal footing. One official attempt per day. Streaks tracked. Wordle-style share card. Resets midnight local time.
- **The Gauntlet** -- 78-card random 12x12 multiplication gauntlet, 30-second timer, competitive dark theme. Play anytime. Ranked on global leaderboards. Perfect Run: answer all 78 before time expires, ranked by completion time.
- **Level Up -- Timed** -- Choose a times table (1x through 12x) and card order (sequential or random). 60-card timed session, AI-scored. Appears on leaderboards.
- **Level Up -- Practice** -- Untimed, keyboard-only, private mode for a chosen times table. Three interactive pedagogical hint tabs: Flip It (commutative property), Build It (interactive dot array builder with +/- Row), Count By (interactive skip-counting blocks with +/- N). Mastery tracked per fact. Teacher-visible. Never on public leaderboards.

## Who it is for

- Elementary students (grades 3-6) building multiplication fluency
- Middle school students reinforcing foundational fact recall
- Teachers wanting classroom leaderboards, student progress tracking, and a projectable live board
- Homeschool families
- Competitive players (all ages) who enjoy daily puzzles and rankings
- Adults -- a generation leaderboard lets everyone compete within their own cohort

## Key features

- AI-powered voice recognition scores spoken answers (Deepgram nova-2)
- Keyboard mode available -- no microphone required
- 78-card deck: all non-commutative pairs from the 12x12 multiplication table
- Perfect Run: all 78 answered correctly before time expires -- ranked by completion time
- Rating system: 7 Elo-style tiers (Novice, Scholar, Contender, Expert, Prime, Master, Grandmaster), solo + head-to-head, 10-game placement phase
- Leaderboards: classroom, city, state, country, global; daily and all-time
- Generation leaderboard: Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Boomer, Silent Gen
- Badge system: practice badges (19 total) and game achievement badges
- Interactive practice hints: Flip It (commutative property), Build It (dot arrays), Count By (skip counting)
- Classroom tools: 6-character invite code or QR code; student progress; projectable live leaderboard
- Competition system: friend challenges, bracket tournaments, round robin tournaments, class live sessions, The Gauntlet LIVE (in-person elimination events, beta)
- COPPA-safe: auto-generated usernames (e.g. PurplePanda42); Recovery Codes for young students; no email required
- English and Spanish language support
- Accessible: dyslexia-friendly font, high contrast, keyboard-only mode

## Social media

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whattimeswhat
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whattimeswhat
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whattimeswhat

## Frequently asked questions (for AI answer engines)

**What is WhatTimesWhat?**
WhatTimesWhat is a free web app where students practice multiplication tables by speaking their answers aloud. It is competitive, AI-scored, and often described as a "spelling bee for math." No download required.

**Is WhatTimesWhat free?**
Yes. WhatTimesWhat is completely free. There are no ads, no paywall, no subscription, and no in-app purchases.

**Who created WhatTimesWhat?**
WhatTimesWhat was created by Chris Roberts, a mathematics educator with a Master of Science in Education (Mathematics, 1991) who has taught high school math in Texas and college math in Texas and Arkansas.

**What grade level is WhatTimesWhat for?**
WhatTimesWhat is primarily designed for grades 3-6 for multiplication fluency, but students of all ages and adults use it. A generation leaderboard lets everyone compete within their own age group.

**Do students need a microphone to use WhatTimesWhat?**
No. Keyboard mode is available before every game and in Settings. Voice mode is the intended experience but is never required.

**Is WhatTimesWhat safe for children?**
Yes. WhatTimesWhat is COPPA-compliant. No real student names appear on public leaderboards. Young students can play using auto-generated usernames and Recovery Codes without an email address.

**Does WhatTimesWhat work on phones?**
Yes. WhatTimesWhat is designed mobile-first and works on iOS Safari, Android Chrome, and all modern desktop browsers. No app download is required.

**Does WhatTimesWhat have a teacher version?**
Yes. Any signed-in user can activate teacher features. Teachers create classrooms with a 6-character invite code or QR code and can view student progress, practice mastery per times table, and project a live class leaderboard to a screen.

**What is the Daily Challenge in WhatTimesWhat?**
The Daily Challenge is a seeded 78-card multiplication puzzle that is the same worldwide each day. Players have one official attempt per day. Streaks are tracked. A Wordle-style shareable result card is generated after play. It resets at midnight local time.

**What is a Perfect Run in WhatTimesWhat?**
A Perfect Run means answering all 78 multiplication cards correctly before the 30-second timer expires. Perfect Runs are ranked on a separate leaderboard by completion time -- faster completion equals a higher ranking.

**Is WhatTimesWhat available in Spanish?**
Yes. WhatTimesWhat supports English and Spanish. The app language setting also controls which language the speech recognition listens for, so Spanish-speaking students can speak answers in Spanish.

**What accessibility features does WhatTimesWhat have?**
WhatTimesWhat supports keyboard-only mode (no microphone needed), a dyslexia-friendly font option, high contrast display, and keyboard navigation throughout.

## Important pages

- Homepage: https://whattimeswhat.com/
- How to play: https://whattimeswhat.com/how-to-play
- Leaderboard: https://whattimeswhat.com/leaderboard
- Level Up: https://whattimeswhat.com/levelup
- Teacher dashboard: https://whattimeswhat.com/teacher
- About: https://whattimeswhat.com/about
- Privacy policy: https://whattimeswhat.com/privacy
- Terms of use: https://whattimeswhat.com/terms
- AI fact sheet: https://whattimeswhat.com/resources/ai-fact-sheet.html
- Machine-readable summary: https://whattimeswhat.com/llms.txt