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Favorite Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites

Phonics is a foundational early reading and writing skill, and that's why there's no shortage of phonics apps, games, and websites out there in the market. With this list, we've narrowed the field down to some phonics favorites, both free and paid, that help students navigate the world of words through building phonemic awareness and spelling skills. All of these early reading tools are well-suited to students and classrooms, offering engaging experiences that will delight kids and encourage them to explore words and build literacy. They also leverage the interactivity and audiovisual perks of digital media, helping kids play and experiment with and listen to letter sounds. 

Free Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites

Starfall ABCs

ABCs and phonics integrate with fun images, animations, and activities

Bottom Line: Great -- and free -- way to give students clear, engaging examples of the ABCs in action.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Free

HOMER: Fun Learning for Kids

Early learners explore fun activities to gain literacy skills and more

Bottom Line: Top-notch phonics program effectively coaches students, but lacks some standard features useful for the classroom.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free to try

Teach Your Monster to Read

Phonics adventure oozes charm, has limited learning potential

Bottom Line: Great style and character that'll get young children exploring letter sounds and sentences, but games could grow old quickly.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free, Paid

Lalilo

K–2 literacy program offers comprehensive, adaptive activities

Bottom Line: An easy-to-recommend tool thanks to its broad coverage of key skills and nice balance of student-driven and teacher-differentiated learning.

Grades: K–3
Price:
Free, Paid

Paid Phonics Games, Apps, and Websites

Endless Wordplay: School Edition

Rhymes, phonetic approach, silly animations help kids construct words

Bottom Line: Good, holistic approach to the nitty gritty of constructing words.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

Wonster Words (Pro Edition) - spelling with ABC phonics by Puzzling

Word construction and silly animations stress phonics and vocab

Bottom Line: Silly graphics and some odd defining sentences sometimes distract from a respectable teaching approach.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

Hooked on Phonics Learn & Read

Well-known curriculum adapts well to fun, easy-to-use app

Bottom Line: Thorough phonics program offers a nice mixture of learning, practicing, and reading.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free to try

Montessorium: Intro to Words

Well-crafted app helps emerging readers and writers build words

Bottom Line: This app will work best for students who already know their letters and can then work on word building, word play, and letter-sound recognition.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Montessori Early Reading - Phonics & Rhyme games

Fun with simple words, language sounds best for emerging readers

Bottom Line: This app may be best for quick learners who need little help to push them over the reading horizon.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Montessori Letter Sounds - Phonics in English, Spanish, French & Italian

Thoughtfully designed, self-paced games bring letters, sounds to life

Bottom Line: A warm, wonderful tool for teaching pre-readers and young language learners solid literacy skills.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Touch and Write Phonics

Dig into unique writing textures for letter tracing and phonics fun

Bottom Line: Provides a creative way to make phonics practice and letter tracing more fun.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Endless Alphabet

Adorable animated monsters teach sophisticated vocabulary

Bottom Line: Animated words and definitions grab kids' attention and introduce challenging and unique vocabulary.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free to try, Paid

PocketPhonics Stories

Comprehensive, serious phonics program has great supports, some fun

Bottom Line: Though it’s effective, this straightforward phonics review and practice tool could offer more fun.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Paid

Poio by Kahoot! Learn to Read

Kid-centered early reading game leans into discovery and delight

Bottom Line: This is a smart spin on phonics with a deep commitment to a kid-driven, fun-first experience.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Paid

Montessori Crosswords

Gently ease kids into phonics with superb Montessori-inspired puzzles

Bottom Line: The surprisingly great combo of Montessori principles and technology helps kids learn phonics without overstimulation.

Grades: Pre-K–3
Price:
Paid

Lexia Core5 Reading

Blended reading program offers individualized growth

Bottom Line: This is a research-backed blended reading platform that builds literacy skills and helps teachers plan and deliver targeted instruction in the classroom.

Grades: Pre-K–5
Price:
Paid

Starfall Learn to Read

Delight early readers with lively if only supplemental phonics lessons

Bottom Line: This app's plentiful phonics activities should keep emergent readers engaged, but teachers will need to figure out assessment.

Grades: K–2
Price:
Free

Phonics Genius

Quality flashcard-style phonics app missing some basics

Bottom Line: Phonics Genius is a great resource for building phonemic awareness and a library of sight words.

Grades: K–5
Price:
Paid

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