# Blending Sounds 1 : Phonics Words for Beginners — Teach Reading & Spelling

> Phonics tool for beginning readers to learn word blending and decoding skills. (iPhone/iPad app by Reading Doctor Pty Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blending-sounds-1-phonics-words-for-beginners/id883245394 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Reading Doctor Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/647872297)
- Category: Education, Games, Word
- Price: $15.99
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 121 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-06-04
- Data updated: 2026-06-08
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blending-sounds-1-phonics-words-for-beginners/id883245394/reviews.md

## What is Blending Sounds 1?

Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro is a fun, effective and scientifically based teaching tool which helps beginning readers to use letter-sound knowledge to read words.

The program is based on research into reading acquisition and was developed by speech & language pathologist Dr. Bartek Rajkowski, PhD. Anybody with an interest in teaching children to read can use Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro to help students learn basic decoding skills!

PLEASE NOTE:
- Requires iPad 2 or higher
- This app is Australian! US and UK accents coming in the next update
- Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro is not just a game - it is a powerful and fully customisable teaching tool. Please take some time to experiment with it yourself before trying it with students  

Why is the ability to blend (join) speech sounds when reading so important?

Skilled readers are good at understanding that words are made up of speech sounds (a skill called phonemic awareness) and they are also good at understanding how these speech sounds are represented by letters. This knowledge helps children to ‘decode’ unfamiliar words by blending (joining) the speech sounds to recognise the word. Difficulties with these skills are a hallmark of the struggling reader. Furthermore, teaching methods that begin by teaching students letter-sound relationships (called ‘synthetic phonics’ methods) have been shown through research to be more effective than other approaches in teaching reading, regardless of whether students do or do not have reading difficulties. The evidence from the past several decades of reading research is clear: using letter-sound knowledge to decode unfamiliar words is crucial in learning to read, since it helps students to teach themselves new words. 

How does Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro help?
 
Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro uses a patent pending, self-adjusting, multisensory teaching method to help teach beginning and struggling readers to use letter-sound knowledge to decode and recognise simple words with direct letter-sound patterns, such as "cat, stop" and "lost". The teaching system automatically identifies what a child knows, what the child does not know, and which words the child confuses. The app includes a large library of CVC, CCVC and CVCC words and is fully customisable, making it easy to set up custom activities to teach students to read specific word types (such as words ending in -at, or words beginning with st-). 

Who should use Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro?

Blending Sounds™ 1 Pro is ideal for helping beginning readers, students with reading difficulties and students learning English as a second language. It is a perfect complement to any phonics program and is fully customisable. We are confident it will quickly become a favourite tool for teachers, parents, reading difficulty specialists and anybody else with an interest in the teaching of reading and spelling! 

Features
- Created by a speech-language pathologist specialising in reading development
- Scientifically-based
- Easy to use
- Fun, intuitive and powerful teaching tool
- Perfect for children of all ages learning to read English, including students with learning difficulties and students of English as a second language (ESL)
- Patent-pending, adjustable memory-aid system helps students remember letter-sound patterns
- Create and save custom activities to complement any synthetic phonics approach

## Key features

- Scientifically-based teaching method
- Developed by speech-language pathologist
- Multisensory learning approach
- Automatic progress tracking
- Customizable word activities
- Library of CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words

## Recent user reviews (6 of 6)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blending-sounds-1-phonics-words-for-beginners/id883245394/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Very Useful

*2022-10-19, version 1.2*

We have all the reading doctor apps.
They can be customised to the desired reading level.
My son is non verbal with autism and dyspraxia. He enjoys reading thanks to Reading Doctor.

### 1/5 — Horrible app

*2021-06-19, version 1.2*

Don’t waste your money. The app doesn’t work as it says. It shuts down and won’t let you create new custom word lists as advertised. I’m trying to email them to get my money back.

### 5/5 — Dyslexia Must

*2019-09-03*

I am a tutor for kids with dyslexia and this app is amazingly helpful for kids who struggle with phonemic awareness and visual memory. Yes it has an Australian accent but that has not stopped it being effective. I would love to see it have an accent available for American English though. This is a fantastic addition to my toolbox.

### 1/5 — Keeps crashing no support

*2017-12-28, version 1.2*

I purchased two Reading doctor app a couple of months ago. They worked fine for about three weeks but after that they now crash every time and or open but nothing works.  I have emailed customer support but haven’t got a reply. Don’t waste your money the app is useless.

### 5/5 — Fantastic Resource

*2016-06-21, version 1.1*

This is the best app around to support struggling readers with their blending skills. Highly recommend it.

### 4/5 — Great app- needs update

*2015-01-21, version 1.1*

Awesome app but needs to be fixed as it keeps shutting down unexpectedly

## Frequently asked questions about Blending Sounds 1

### What is the primary learning method used by Blending Sounds?

Blending Sounds utilizes a patent-pending, self-adjusting, multisensory teaching method. This approach helps beginning and struggling readers decode and recognize simple words by focusing on direct letter-sound patterns.

### Who developed Blending Sounds?

Blending Sounds was developed by speech and language pathologist Dr. Bartek Rajkowski, PhD. His expertise in reading development ensures the app is based on research into reading acquisition.

### What types of words does Blending Sounds include?

The app features a large library of CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant), CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant), and CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) words. This variety supports learning various word structures.

### What devices is Blending Sounds compatible with?

Blending Sounds requires an iPad 2 or higher. It is currently optimized for iPads, with US and UK accents planned for a future update.

### How does Blending Sounds track student progress?

The teaching system automatically identifies what a child knows, what they do not know, and which words they might confuse. This allows for personalized learning adjustments.

### Is Blending Sounds a game or a teaching tool?

Blending Sounds is described as a powerful and fully customizable teaching tool, not just a game. It is designed to be experimented with to understand its full capabilities before use with students.

### What is the price of Blending Sounds?

Blending Sounds is available for a one-time purchase of $15.99. This price grants access to the full features of the application.

### How often is Blending Sounds updated?

The app was last updated on September 12, 2017, to version 1.2. Future updates are planned to include US and UK accents.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.2 — 2017-09-12

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

General Bug Fixes and support for the latest version of iOS.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for the latest announcements: www.facebook.com/readingdoctor

Please contact us at support@readingdoctor.com.au if you experience any issues!

The Reading Doctor Team.

### 1.1 — 2014-09-29

- Fixed iOS 8 compatibility issue. 

Please join our new (free) Facebook group to connect with others using our apps:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/readingdoctor/

If you experience any problems or need help with our apps please don't hesitate to contact us by emailing: 

support@readingdoctor.com.au

Thanks!

The Reading Doctor® Team.

### 1.0 — 2014-06-04

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Blending Sounds 1

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [SBF See Binnen Trainer Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sbf-see-binnen-trainer-lite/id822908340) | — | Free | Education |
| [Phonics Hero: Learn to Read](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonics-hero-learn-to-read/id908692848) | 4.6 (9) | Free | Education |
| [Movable Alphabet - D'Nealian](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/movable-alphabet-dnealian/id1035304140) | 5.0 (1) | $1.99 | Education |
| [ABC-klubben: ABC-memo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-klubben-abc-memo/id1086058200) | — | $1.99 | Education |
| [ABC-klubben: ABC-korsord](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-klubben-abc-korsord/id1084639940) | — | $1.99 | Education |
| [百人一首トレーニングFREE](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/free/id984452120) | — | Free | Education |

## More apps by Reading Doctor Pty Ltd

- [Word Builder - The Phonics Teaching Tool](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/word-builder-the-phonics-teaching-tool/id651218991)
- [Letter Sounds 1 : Phonics Graphemes for Beginners](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letter-sounds-1-phonics-graphemes-for-beginners/id771807063)
- [Letter Sounds 2 : Digraphs, Trigraphs & Endings](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letter-sounds-2-digraphs-trigraphs-and-endings/id796085057)
- [Sight Words 1 : Common English Words](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-words-1-common-english-words/id849060802)
- [Spelling Sounds 1 : Writing Words with Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelling-sounds-1-writing-words-with-phonics/id977063322)

All apps by Reading Doctor Pty Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/647872297

---

*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 2026-06-08.*