# Jolly Phonics - Learn to Read — Lessons for Pupils beyond ABC

> Interactive phonics program for teaching children to read and write. (iPhone/iPad app by Jolly Learning.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-learn-to-read/id1149029299 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jolly Learning](https://appshunter.io/developer/897894555)
- Category: Education, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 4,503 App Store ratings · 244 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 227 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-09-08
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-learn-to-read/id1149029299/reviews.md

## What is Jolly Phonics?

Teach Your Children to Read and Write with Jolly Phonics!
Unlock reading and writing potential with the literacy programme designed for kids and trusted by teachers worldwide. Aligned with the Science of Reading, this interactive app makes learning to read and write and building phonemic awareness fun and engaging!

What is Jolly Phonics?
Jolly Phonics is a programme for teaching reading and writing. It is based on a systematic synthetic phonics approach, and was developed by teachers Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham. It is the first stage in teaching children to read and write using the 5 key skills. It focuses on direct, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics for both reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Scientific research has consistently shown phonemic awareness to be essential for building strong reading, spelling and writing skills.

Why Choose Jolly Phonics?
1. Proven Success: Used in schools globally for over 30 years with proven literacy outcomes.
2. Science-Based Approach: Aligned with the Science of Reading to ensure kids build effective foundational reading and spelling skills.
3. Engaging and Multi-Sensory: Songs, actions and interactive learning games bring phonics learning to life!

Key Features That Make Learning Easy and Fun:
1. Explore All 42 Letter Sounds: Go beyond ABC with free songs and audio to help kids learn every sound.
2. Learn to Read: Build phonemic awareness with our interactive learning tools such as flashcards, wordbank and action images to enhance and support every lesson.
3. Learn to Write: Develop strong handwriting skills with step-by-step visual animations.
4. Learning Games: Learn to read and write with fun phonics learning games that reinforce kids' learning.
5. Progress Tracking: Built-in assessments to monitor children's progress and celebrate achievements.

Who Is Jolly Phonics For?
1. Kids: From preschoolers learning their first words and ABC, to confident young readers building their phonics skills.
2. Parents: Support your children's early reading, writing, and spelling journey at home with our guided lessons.
3. Teachers: A valuable classroom resource for phonics instruction.

Start Your Kids' Phonics Journey Today!
Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, this app makes literacy learning simple, effective and enjoyable!

Why Phonics Instead of ABC?
1. Phonics focuses on letter-sound relationships and how sounds (phonemes) make up words. It teaches kids the valuable skill of decoding, which is essential for reading and spelling fluency.
2. ABC refers to learning letters and their names rather than their sounds. Knowing the alphabet may be a precursor to phonics but doesn't directly teach reading skills.

Learning Beyond ABC!
Jolly Phonics doesn't stop at just ABC or phonemic awareness. The app offers:
1. Advanced learning strategies
2. Comprehensive handwriting exercises
3. Fun learning games designed for children to reinforce spelling and letter sounds knowledge

Start Your Kids' Phonics Journey Today!
Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, with our structured lessons, interactive tools, and a focus on foundational phonemic awareness, your kids will learn to read, write and spell confidently.

Download now and see how Jolly Phonics can transform your children's literacy learning!

https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Explore 42 letter sounds with songs and audio
- Interactive tools for reading practice
- Step-by-step handwriting animations
- Phonics learning games
- Progress tracking and assessments

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full access (monthly) | $4.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sounding | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alternatives | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tricky Words | $1.99 | one-time |
| Writing | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sound Groups 2 to 7 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything | $9.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Jolly Phonics?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Excellent for teaching phonics
- 🎓 Helpful for learning letter sounds
- 🎨 Multi-sensory approach (writing, reading, signing, singing)
- 🏫 Aligns with school curriculum

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔇 Audio issues (sound cutting out, missing sounds)
- 🤖 Unresponsive touch controls
- 💰 Expensive for limited content
- 🔁 Requires re-purchase on new devices

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Account login issues
- Inability to restore purchases
- Blank/white screen problems
- Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Most requested features**

- More games and interactive activities
- Print letter option instead of pre-cursive
- Ability to share purchases across devices
- Improved customer support and bug fixes

## Recent user reviews (10 of 244)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-learn-to-read/id1149029299/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Very good aap

*2026-07-31*

Is easy to understand for kids

### 5/5 — Ms Irene

*2026-07-13, version 7.0.7*

Fantastic app

### 5/5 — 使いやすい！

*2026-07-05*

小学校で教えていますが、我が家で我が子に教えるときはいつでもどこでも教材が揃っていて、つ、か、い、や、す、いい❣️

### 5/5 — Jolly Phonics

*2026-06-23, version 7.0.7*

Best app ever!!!

### 5/5 — It is so good

*2026-06-21, version 7.0.7*

Wow I can’t believe how captivating this is

### 4/5 — Great

*2026-05-08, version 7.0.7*

Very interactive

### 5/5 — I have to be honest

*2026-04-27, version 7.0.7*

I’m just saying that you

### 1/5 — Purchase

*2026-04-18, version 7.0.7*

Android has free version but apple users need to purchase it for using the full app. It’s very inconvenient and inconsistent.

### 1/5 — 急に使えなくなりました

*2026-03-22*

ずっと前にアプリをダウンロードし、使っていたのですが、ある日突然画面がグレーになり、全く使えなくなりました。

### 1/5 — Purchase not honoured

*2026-02-18, version 7.0.7*

I purchased full access to Jolly Phonics in November 2022. I have the invoice saved in app purchases. I used the app for many months without issue. However, recently, when I’ve attempted to sign in, the app has no record of my details. The app has no record of the transaction and I’m prompted to pay again. I’ve emailed the Jolly Phonics developers directly about this and the failure of the app to recognise my login details. I have yet to receive a response several weeks later.

## Frequently asked questions about Jolly Phonics

### What does the Jolly Phonics app do?

The Jolly Phonics app is an interactive literacy program designed to teach children how to read and write. It utilizes a systematic synthetic phonics approach, focusing on building phonemic awareness and strong foundational reading and spelling skills through engaging activities.

### What are the key features of Jolly Phonics?

Key features include exploring all 42 letter sounds with songs and audio, interactive tools like flashcards and wordbanks for reading practice, step-by-step visual animations for handwriting development, fun phonics learning games, and built-in progress tracking to monitor achievements.

### How much does Jolly Phonics cost?

The app is free to download and offers some content for free, such as exploring all 42 letter sounds. Additional features and content are available through in-app purchases, allowing users to access the full program.

### Who is Jolly Phonics for?

Jolly Phonics is suitable for children from preschoolers learning their first words and ABCs to young readers developing their phonics skills. It is also a valuable resource for parents looking to support their child's literacy journey at home and teachers seeking a classroom tool for phonics instruction.

### Why is phonics important for learning to read?

Phonics focuses on the relationships between letters and sounds, teaching children how to decode words by blending sounds together. This skill is crucial for reading fluency and spelling, providing a more direct path to reading comprehension than simply learning letter names.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 7.1.5 — 2026-07-17

Exciting new features:
- Digital decodable readers, starting with the full Folktales set of 30 books across all 5 levels
- In-app version of our Teacher's Guide
- In-app browser of products from Jolly Learning web store

### 7.0.7 — 2025-05-30

Fixed an issue with Jolly Classroom trial offering.

### 7.0.6 — 2025-05-18

This update introduces a streamlined experience for viewing Jolly Readers in our web store.

### 7.0.5 — 2025-05-13

UX & compliancy improvements on account creation.

### 7.0.4 — 2025-03-31

Fixes a bug preventing subscription purchase.

## Apps similar to Jolly Phonics

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Kids ABC Phonics Tracing Games](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kids-abc-phonics-tracing-games/id1482752587) | 4.5 (6,498) | Free | Education |
| [ABC Kids - Tracing & Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-kids-tracing-and-phonics/id1112482869) | 4.5 (32,224) | Free | Education |
| [Khan Academy Kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/khan-academy-kids/id1378467217) | 4.8 (129,109) | Free | Education |
| [Learn to Read - Reading.com](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-to-read-readingcom/id1534938305) | 4.7 (65,128) | Free | Education |
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| [Sight Words & Phonics Reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-words-and-phonics-reading/id878724595) | 4.6 (24,155) | Free | Education |

## More apps by Jolly Learning

- [Jolly Phonics Letter Sounds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-letter-sounds/id897894552)
- [Jolly Phonics Songs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-songs/id1096113645)
- [Jolly Phonics Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-phonics-pro/id1242383996)
- [Jolly Classroom: Teach Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jolly-classroom-teach-phonics/id1549452023)

All apps by Jolly Learning: https://appshunter.io/developer/897894555

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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 2026-08-29.*