Our take
A UK self-paced program of 100 lessons across ten "islands", with videos, games and printable worksheets, run in a web browser (including on iPads). A placement challenge assigns lessons, and the sequence goes on past phonics into prefixes, suffixes, vocabulary and comprehension. Children type dictated words and sentences; it does not listen to them read aloud. Its evidence is the maker's own case studies.
A good fit for
- Dyslexic 6–11 year olds who will practise alone
- Covering phonics and word parts in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Children who need someone to hear them read
- Families who want a phone app; it runs in a browser
How far it goes
About the skill ladder- 7Latin and Greek rootsconstruct, phonographPartly
- 6Prefixes, suffixes and spelling ruleshopping, unkindTaught
- 5Multisyllable wordsnapkin, fantasticTaught
- 4Vowel patternscake, rain, carTaught
- 3Blends and digraphsstop, ship, chinTaught
- 2Short-vowel wordscat, sit, hopTaught
- 1Letter soundsm says /m/Taught
The last island covers advanced prefixes and suffixes such as -ology and -ism, but not root words.
How it works
How we rate- Who hears your child read?
- No automated listeningThe software does not assess reading aloud; an adult can provide listening and feedback.
- Does your child spell?
- Writes from dictationChildren type words and sentences they hear.
- What do they read?
- Not publishedWe could not confirm what kind of text it uses.
- How is progress gated?
- Says it adaptsPlacement through the Nessy Challenge, then lessons are assigned automatically.
- How much of your time?
- Runs by itselfYour child can use it alone.
- What does the evidence show?
- Maker’s own studiesOnly the maker's case studies; no peer-reviewed evaluation found.
Watch-outs
- Every tenth lesson is "tricky words", and its practice game aims to "speed up whole word recognition", including some words (that, this, girl) whose patterns were already taught.
How it compares
| App | Price | Goes up to | Hears reading | Spelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nessy Reading & Spelling | $15.50/mo or $126/yr for one child | Latin and Greek roots | No automated listening | Writes from dictation |
| Reading Horizons At-Home | $199 for the first year, then $50/yr; $25 per extra student; $10 30-day trial | Multisyllable words | No automated listening | Writes from dictation |
| Lexercise Basic Therapy | $150/mo, 14-day money-back guarantee | Latin and Greek roots | You do | Writes from dictation |
| ReadingDoctor Online | AUD $99 per student per year (about US$65), free trial | Vowel patterns | No automated listening | Picks letters or answers |
| Lexercise Professional Therapy | $495/mo (rates vary by therapist), billed every 4 weeks | Latin and Greek roots | A trained tutor | Writes from dictation |
Sources
Checked October 2026 against the maker's own pages and the sources above. Spot something out of date? Tell us.