Our take
A self-running iPhone and iPad app with 101 lessons across kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade: letters and short vowels, then blends, digraphs and magic e, then vowel teams, suffixes and multisyllable words. Its 91 decodable stories use only sounds already taught, and the app listens as your child reads, breaking a missed word into sounds. Spelling moves from letter tiles to typing from memory. It is new in 2026.
A good fit for
- Young children who can practise alone on a tablet
- Families who want an app that listens to their child read
Look elsewhere if
- Android households
- Older readers past 2nd-grade phonics
How far it goes
About the skill ladder- 7Latin and Greek rootsconstruct, phonographNot taught
- 6Prefixes, suffixes and spelling ruleshopping, unkindPartly
- 5Multisyllable wordsnapkin, fantasticPartly
- 4Vowel patternscake, rain, carTaught
- 3Blends and digraphsstop, ship, chinTaught
- 2Short-vowel wordscat, sit, hopTaught
- 1Letter soundsm says /m/Taught
2nd grade covers vowel teams, silent letters, suffixes and multisyllable fluency; r-controlled vowels and prefixes are not named.
How it works
How we rate- Who hears your child read?
- Speech recognitionListens word by word in Story Mode and breaks a missed word into its sounds.
- Does your child spell?
- Writes from dictationBuilds words from tiles, then types them from memory; a word counts as mastered only when spelled correctly on a later day.
- What do they read?
- DecodableTexts primarily follow taught patterns; see each program’s treatment of irregular words.
- How is progress gated?
- Says it adaptsA 5-minute reading check places your child; the dashboard shows what is mastered.
- How much of your time?
- Runs by itselfYour child can use it alone.
- What does the evidence show?
- No outcome studyNo outcome study found.
Watch-outs
- Its separate Spelling Mode drills Fry's 1,000 high-frequency words outside the phonics sequence.
- Launched in 2026, so there is little track record.
How it compares
| App | Price | Goes up to | Hears reading | Spelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Phonics | $69.99/yr (7-day free trial) or monthly; the App Store lists both $11.99 and $14.99 monthly plans | Prefixes, suffixes and spelling rules | Speech recognition | 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 |
| Reading.com | $12.49–$14.99/mo or $74.99/yr | Vowel patterns | You do | Picks letters or answers |
| Phonics Hero | US$36 per 6 months on the web, or US$6/mo in the app | Multisyllable words | No automated listening | Picks letters or answers |
| Funnix Beginning Reading | $24.99/mo family plan (up to 3 children); free trial lessons | Multisyllable words | You do | Writes from dictation |
Sources
Checked October 2026 against the maker's own pages and the sources above. Spot something out of date? Tell us.