# Alphabet Zoo — Learn letter-sounds!

> Educational app for preschoolers teaching letter-sound association with animals. (iPhone/iPad app by Third Rail Games LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphabet-zoo/id416075232 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Third Rail Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/602934098)
- Category: Education, Games
- Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.66/5 from 29 App Store ratings · 46 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 13 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2011-01-27
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphabet-zoo/id416075232/reviews.md

## What is Alphabet Zoo?

Alphabet Zoo spotted on 60 Minutes!

"Awesome and simple app for teaching kids to recognize letter-sounds" 
-Educational Game Review

"Creative and entertaining pre-literacy app" 
-InnovativeLearning.com

Alphabet Zoo is designed and reviewed by educators to teach children letter-sound association, an essential skill for learning to read.  More importantly, kids have fun playing with the animals and creative sounds without even realizing they're learning.  

Letter-sound association, or teaching children what sounds the letters make, is the first step to preparing children to be successful readers.  The Congressionally-mandated National Reading Panel concluded that children who have “phonics instruction read better and spell better than other children”.  Understanding letter-sounds is much more than being able to simply recite the alphabet, but actually understanding the sounds that the letters make in context of real words.

The app is primarily aimed at preschool kids between the ages of 2 and 5.  The competencies in Alphabet Zoo are aligned to the US Common Core curriculum standards for phonics and word recognition under Foundational Skills for Reading at the kindergarten level.

## Key features

- Letter-sound association
- Interactive animal characters
- Creative sounds
- Pre-literacy skills
- Aligned with Common Core

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $0.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assessment Module | $0.99 | one-time |
| Trucks Theme | $0.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 46)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphabet-zoo/id416075232/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Epic

*2022-02-06, version 1.6.1*

This game is epic. It has some radical sound effects. The art is totally tubular. But my favorite part is the sound effects. They are really funny. If this rating thing had ten stars that’s what I’d give it.

### 5/5 — Yassss that porcupine.

*2021-12-14, version 1.6.1*

My son and I have laughed at this app for years (he’s 13 now). Not necessarily that educational but man we’ve laughed at the sounds, of course the porcupine is the best. I’ve played it for so so many of my friends. Still listening in 2021.

### 5/5 — The porcupine!

*2018-06-27, version 1.5*

I came back to download it just to hear that porcupine again and I can’t get because of the update 😭 this was seriously the best! I have it on my old iPad but the sound isn’t working for some reason on just this app. Oh what I would do to just hear the porcupine again.

### 1/5 — Needs to be updated

*2017-11-26, version 1.5*

This app needs to be updated in order to be used. It would be great!

### 1/5 — Used to love it;

*2017-10-30, version 1.5*

But it’s been months now and it still hasn’t been updated for iOS. It was my toddlers favorite, and now it’s just taking up space while we wait for the update.

### 4/5 — Alphabet zoo

*2015-06-01, version 1.5*

I like this App for my preschool students but is there a way to get all options without continually having to make in app purchases . Would like to use it in the classroom. Also wondering if there is a way to create a class list to see all students' performance.

### 3/5 — For 3 year olds

*2013-10-17, version 1.5*

M 5 year old said this is too baby for her

### 1/5 — Horrible animal sounds

*2013-03-26, version 1.4*

This app is disgraceful to animals and terrible for children, stay away!

### 2/5 — Not kid friendly

*2012-12-26, version 1.4*

There's a big button upper right on the screen that sends you to an advertising dialog box with a single touch. It takes my grandson between three and thirteen seconds to touch this each time and I have to take it back to restore the game. Really dumb.

### 1/5 — Amateurish and inadequate half-baked effort

*2012-09-26, version 1.4*

There are so many things wrong with this Ap. First, the user interface is so poor that it is difficult for even an adult to work with it. The Ap is very sensitive to scrolling, making it nearly impossible to tap a letter. It appears that there was no actual testing of the ap in the real world. When you tap the letter the bottom scrolls. Why not limit scrolling to only the bottom where the letters are?

My child keeps tapping the big red star, which interrupts the game for an up-sell in-ap purchase option. Greedy and annoying.  The ap remains locked until you hit cancel... Which I would imagine is difficult for a child just learning the alphabet. 

The sounds are awful. Just awful. The cat sounds like someone stepped on its tail. Why would I want my child to associate this sound with a cat?

I know nothing about designing aps, but even I could do better than this.  In fact, my child could probably do better. The developer is going for a cheap money grab with little to no effort behind it.

## Frequently asked questions about Alphabet Zoo

### What does Alphabet Zoo do?

Alphabet Zoo is designed to teach children letter-sound association, a crucial skill for learning to read. It uses interactive animal characters and creative sounds to make the learning process fun and engaging for young children.

### What are the key features of Alphabet Zoo?

The app's key features include teaching letter-sound association, interactive animal characters, creative sounds, and developing pre-literacy skills. It is also aligned with US Common Core curriculum standards for phonics and word recognition.

### Is Alphabet Zoo free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, Alphabet Zoo is a free application. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or subscription models.

### What age group is Alphabet Zoo for?

The app is primarily aimed at preschool kids between the ages of 2 and 5. It focuses on foundational skills for reading and word recognition suitable for this age range.

### How does Alphabet Zoo help children learn to read?

The app focuses on letter-sound association, which is the first step to preparing children for successful reading. By understanding the sounds letters make, children build a strong foundation for phonics and word recognition.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.6.1 — 2019-11-02

Updated for iOS 64-bit
Simplification of interface

## Apps similar to Alphabet Zoo

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [The Story of Creation   by LA](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-story-of-creation-by-la/id821031294) | 4.0 (1) | $3.99 | Education |
| [Spelling Treasure Box](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelling-treasure-box/id417580415) | 2.0 (1) | $1.99 | Education |
| [Alphabet of Animals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alphabet-of-animals/id1546954273) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education |
| [Animal-ABC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animal-abc/id867389345) | 4.0 (2) | $2.99 | Education |
| [Africa - Animal Adventures for Kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/africa-animal-adventures-for-kids/id695120934) | 4.3 (11) | $2.99 | Education |
| [ABC Animals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-animals/id292402752) | 3.0 (42) | $2.99 | Education |

## More apps by Third Rail Games LLC

- [Greater Gator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/greater-gator/id625747308)
- [Hideout: Early Reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hideout-early-reading/id625966929)
- [Chicken Yard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicken-yard/id963994526)
- [LetterMarch](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lettermarch/id1198261937)
- [Pulse Runner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulse-runner/id6444805326)

All apps by Third Rail Games LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/602934098

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*