Learning to read and write Arabic has often been described as a mental jigsaw puzzle. Now, two NC State students have pieced together a solution by developing a hands-on language puzzle that helps learners master Arabic through touch, play and creativity.

Hurūf La’b, or Letters-Play, breaks down Arabic script into manageable, buildable segments, enabling learners to explore the language’s structure through tactile methods.

“It is unique in that it treats Arabic not as a script to be memorized, but as a system to be physically constructed,” said Reese Hollister, a Master of International Studies student in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS). He co-founded Hurūf La’b with Bella Templeton, the puzzle’s designer, and a graphic and experience design student in the College of Design.

“It is unique in that it treats Arabic not as a script to be memorized, but as a system to be physically constructed.”

In today’s interconnected world, mastering a second language is a practical tool for collaboration, cultural understanding and navigating international opportunities. The puzzle reflects that philosophy, demonstrating how curiosity, creativity and hands-on problem-solving can translate into real-world impact.

Hollister said more than 400 million people speak Arabic, and it is the official language in more than 20 countries. Yet many students stop studying it before reaching proficiency because learning a new script can feel intimidating.

“This tool will accelerate the beginning stages of Arabic literacy, allowing learners to strengthen their skills as they move through the novice levels of proficiency,” said Hollister, noting it also offers a more engaging way to build confidence with the alphabet.

The puzzle — currently designed for use in K–12 classrooms and Islamic centers — works by separating Arabic’s connected, cursive letters into their four contextual forms: isolated, initial, medial and final. Learners sort, match, and assemble the pieces, recognizing patterns in both form and sound and turning an abstract system into something concrete and visual.

“The tactile nature of Hurūf La’b allows students to feel the letters physically in their hands,” Hollister said. “And the custom cut that Bella designed allows learners to instantly recognize a letter’s position based on its shape and feel.”

That, Templeton added, makes Arabic more accessible and helps learners retain what they are learning.

“Accessibility is hard in every language, but especially in Arabic,” she explained. “There are just no resources for it. So, this would give them a resource, whether it’s the student with dyslexia or the student who struggles with language as a whole. This opens up an entire community, a system, and a world for them.”

Creating Hurūf La’b also underscores the culture of innovation and creativity that NC State instills in its students. By encouraging them to think outside the box, take risks and approach problems from multiple angles, the college prepares students to be global citizens and entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurial thinking revolves around this same process of identifying problems, or pain points, and providing stakeholders with various solutions through innovation,” Hollister said.

Hurūf La’b addresses the challenge of Arabic script’s complexity, where each letter changes form based on its position. Hollister created a playful, intuitive puzzle by breaking down each letter into four forms, helping students visualize connections.

Hollister developed the concept in an elective course, College Teaching of World Languages, where he designed a lesson for peers with no background in Arabic. His goal was to make the language lesson playful and intuitive, which led to the first puzzle prototype. By the end of the session, students began to understand how letters connect to form words.

Templeton brought the concept to life by focusing on shape, color, and texture. The custom-cut pieces enable students to recognize and assemble letters by feel, supporting a variety of learning styles.

The pair refined the design using NC State resources, including Hill Library’s Makerspace, the iPearl Innovation Studio, and the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage, a startup space for student entrepreneurs.

While the current focus is on K-12 classrooms, Hollister and Templeton — who recently won $4,000 in the Venture Pack Challenge, NC State’s largest student startup competition — designed the puzzle with versatility in mind. The pair plan to develop lesson plans, a workbook for teachers and additional components to support independent learners, with the goal of selling complete puzzle sets for individual use and bundled versions for classroom settings.

By making the abstract tangible, Hurūf La’b transforms how learners encounter Arabic, turning complexity into clarity and hesitation into confidence. In doing so, it not only reshapes how the language is taught and learned but also demonstrates how humanities-driven innovation can expand access, deepen understanding, and strengthen global learning and connection. 

Watch the video below as Reese Hollister and Bella Templeton demonstrate how their puzzle helps learners master Arabic through touch, play and creativity.