Our take
Adaptive phonics software from an Australian speech pathologist. It teaches over 90 letter-sound patterns in a fixed sequence, with blending, segmenting and spelling, and a set unlocks only when the child shows mastery. Irregular words are taught by pointing out their regular and irregular parts. It practises words and sentences rather than stories, and the maker describes it as a complement to a phonics program.
A good fit for
- Children with dyslexia or speech-language difficulties who need lots of practice
- Independent daily practice alongside a teacher or tutor
Look elsewhere if
- Families who want one complete program with stories
- Children past single-syllable phonics
How far it goes
About the skill ladder- 7Latin and Greek rootsconstruct, phonographNot taught
- 6Prefixes, suffixes and spelling ruleshopping, unkindNot published
- 5Multisyllable wordsnapkin, fantasticNot published
- 4Vowel patternscake, rain, carTaught
- 3Blends and digraphsstop, ship, chinTaught
- 2Short-vowel wordscat, sit, hopTaught
- 1Letter soundsm says /m/Taught
Covers "over 100 spellings of the 44 phonemes"; longer words and word parts are not described.
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?
- Picks letters or answersSegmenting, encoding and spelling activities.
- What do they read?
- No story library confirmedWord and sentence practice; free decodable readers are offered separately.
- How is progress gated?
- Mastery checks80% or more moves on; 50–80% repeats; below 50% steps back.
- How much of your time?
- Runs by itselfYour child can use it alone.
- What does the evidence show?
- Independent studyA Flinders University waitlist-controlled study of 387 children (2026, not yet peer reviewed) found large letter-sound gains.
Watch-outs
- Priced in Australian dollars, and the online program's voices may be Australian.
How it compares
| App | Price | Goes up to | Hears reading | Spelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadingDoctor Online | AUD $99 per student per year (about US$65), free trial | Vowel patterns | No automated listening | Picks letters or answers |
| 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 |
| Nessy Reading & Spelling | $15.50/mo or $126/yr for one child | Latin and Greek roots | No automated listening | Writes from dictation |
| 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.