# He liked thick word soup

> Interactive literary experience based on James Joyce's Ulysses. (iPhone/iPad app by Ariel Malka.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/he-liked-thick-word-soup/id879914740 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ariel Malka](https://appshunter.io/developer/358731711)
- Category: Games, Books, Puzzle, Word
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.86/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 5.1.1 · 17 MB
- Released: 2014-06-04
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/he-liked-thick-word-soup/id879914740/reviews.md

## What is He liked thick word soup?

Some apps claim to increase your reading speed. We propose precisely the opposite:

How about reading Ulysses... with your fingers?

Through 4 episodes of increasing difficulty, your challenge is to wrestle with the text of James Joyce's monumental work, both mentally and physically.

By the end of your odyssey, you will have read up to four pages and 100 sentences chosen from throughout the novel. Your fingers' dexterity will have increased by an exponential factor, and your point of view on Modernist literature and experimental apps will have changed forever.

Note that He Liked Thick Word Soup differs depending whether played on a phone or a tablet. We recommend experiencing both versions!

He Liked Thick Word Soup is the latest chronotext experiment by Ariel Malka. More info at http://chronotext.org

## Key features

- Interactive text engagement
- Multi-episode difficulty progression
- Focus on finger dexterity
- Exploration of modernist literature
- Phone and tablet optimized versions

## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/he-liked-thick-word-soup/id879914740/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great Way to Celebrate Bloomsday!

*2014-06-17*

Just picked this up yesterday on a lark and glad I did. I love the way the sentences from "Ulysses" are floating around in the "soup." Since I didn't read Guide, at first I thought the object was to string the sentences, which are excerpted from 
throughout the text, in chronological order and was getting a bit frustrated. After studying the Guide I realized that the object was to find the "greyed-out" words in the text from the sentences in the soup. The book comprises 264,834 words using a vocabulary of 30,030  words; the most frequent being "the" with 14,905 occurrences (avinash.vora 2008), so there are a lot of sentences and words to choose from. Savor the mixture rather than approach it like timed-puzzle. Play with your food and work the sentences around with your fingers reciting them aloud. I was completing the episodes in about 8 minutes each, but that is too fast. Slow down and enjoy the genius of Joyce. Happy Bloomsday!

### 5/5 — Touching the stream

*2014-06-15*

What a fantastic, multidimensional way to get out of the rut of single perception thinking. Initially you'll be tempted to "solve" the immediate task of un-jumbling, finding and manipulating the intended word(s) onto the unfinished sentence to "complete" the sentence as quickly as possible, as in most electronic "games." But, amazingly, the slurping-soup sound and the genius of reading lines written by James Joyce out of context THEN fitting the highlighted word(s) into place makes an entirely new stream of consciousness experience happen. My advice: SLOW DOWN. Discover as many surprising word combinations as your life allows. Play with the words with one finger, two fingers, both hands, maybe even the tip of your nose in ways your literature teachers never imagined! Marvel at the images Joyce created completely segregated from context. Stretch the words, you get to do that LITERALLY here! A whole new way to play with words. 
Weird, addictive, mesmerizing, FUN.

## Frequently asked questions about He liked thick word soup

### What is He liked thick word soup?

He liked thick word soup is an experimental game that allows users to interact with the text of James Joyce's Ulysses. It aims to enhance reading comprehension and finger dexterity through four difficulty levels.

### Is He liked thick word soup free to play?

Yes, He liked thick word soup is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements within the application.

### What devices does He liked thick word soup support?

He liked thick word soup is designed for iOS devices, specifically iPhones and iPads. The developer recommends experiencing both phone and tablet versions for different perspectives.

### What is the age rating for He liked thick word soup?

He liked thick word soup has an age rating of 9+. This indicates it is suitable for users aged 9 and above.

### How often is He liked thick word soup updated?

The latest version of He liked thick word soup is 1.6, released on March 24, 2015. The app was originally released on June 4, 2014, suggesting infrequent updates.

### Does He liked thick word soup offer offline play?

The description does not specify whether He liked thick word soup requires an internet connection to play. However, given its nature as a text-based interactive experience, it is likely playable offline.

### What are the main gameplay mechanics in He liked thick word soup?

The core gameplay involves physically and mentally wrestling with the text of Ulysses. Users interact with the text through their fingers across four episodes of increasing difficulty.

### What do users like about He liked thick word soup?

While specific user sentiment is not detailed, the app's high rating of 4.9 stars from 7 ratings suggests positive reception. Users likely appreciate its unique approach to literature and experimental design.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.6 — 2015-03-24

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

Support for iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 devices

### 1.0 — 2014-06-03

No release notes.

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## More apps by Ariel Malka

- [TextNoise](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textnoise/id1506650265)
- [The Untangle Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-untangle-game/id6468904978)

All apps by Ariel Malka: https://appshunter.io/developer/358731711

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*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.*
