# Letter Sounds 1 : Phonics Graphemes for Beginners — Teach Reading & Spelling > Teaches children letter-sound relationships for reading and spelling. (iPhone/iPad app by Reading Doctor Pty Ltd.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letter-sounds-1-phonics-graphemes-for-beginners/id771807063 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Reading Doctor Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/647872297) - Category: Education, Games - Price: $15.99 - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 112 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-12-11 - Data updated: 2026-06-07 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letter-sounds-1-phonics-graphemes-for-beginners/id771807063/reviews.md ## What is Letter Sounds 1? Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro is a fun, effective and scientifically based teaching tool which makes it easy to teach children the links between the letters of the alphabet and the speech sounds they typically represent in written English. 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 Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro to help children learn common letter-sound relationships! Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro is based on our flagship program, ReadingSounds® 1 Pro, which is used in over 1000 Australian schools and is being described by educators as a breakthrough in teaching children how to read. PLEASE NOTE: - Requires iPad 2 or higher - Includes US, UK and Australian accents! To switch accents, tap 'settings' from the Main Menu. - Although children love using it, Letter 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 letter-sound knowledge so important? The past several decades of research have provided conclusive evidence that children who are strong readers are skilled in using letter-sound knowledge to learn new words when reading. 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’ written language and teach themselves new words. Difficulties with these skills are hallmarks 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 is clear: letter-sound knowledge is crucial in learning to read and spell since it helps students to teach themselves new words. How does Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro help? Understanding that letters typically represent certain speech sounds poses a challenge to beginning readers since there is no meaningful relationship between the way that letters look and the speech sounds they typically represent. For example, there is no reason why the squiggle “s” represents the sound /s/ as in “sun”. Children must also learn to distinguish between similar letters and sounds (e.g. “b” vs “d”) when learning letter-sound patterns. Children are taught meaningful associations between the way that letters look and the speech sounds they typically represent through a unique system of visual, auditory and articulatory (speech sound) memory aids, or mnemonics. The teaching system in the app automatically identifies what a child knows, what the child does not know, and which letter-sound patterns the child confuses. Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro teaches children to discriminate between confusing patterns, and strengthens weaknesses in letter-sound understanding. Who should use Letter Sounds™ 1 Pro? Letter 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, making it easy to set up custom activities to teach students specific letter-sound patterns. We are confident it will quickly become a favourite tool for teachers, parents, reading specialists and anybody else with an interest in the teaching of reading and spelling! ## Key features - Letter-sound association - Phonics graphemes - Reading acquisition research - Speech & language pathologist developed - US, UK, Australian accents - Customizable teaching tool ## Recent user reviews (7 of 7) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/letter-sounds-1-phonics-graphemes-for-beginners/id771807063/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Awesome app for teaching sounds *2023-11-17* This app is great for teaching sounds. It makes learning fun! My daughter has learned all her letter sounds and loves using this app! ### 1/5 — Out dated app incompatible with iOS updates *2017-08-02, version 1.2* Immediately after purchase, I get a warning saying this app is out of date and will cease to operate (or slowdown my iPad) because it's too far behind the iOS development timeline. I have emailed the support address for a refund as there's no point engaging in a succession of app purchases with a developer that doesn't support its products. ### 5/5 — Fantastic app for LD kids *2016-02-13, version 1.2* My daughter has ADHD and Dyslexia and this app has been one of the most effective learning programs we have tried, mostly due to the multi sensory features and the progressive nature of the app. I've purchased the sight word and blending app now and will be recommending she use them at school. My younger daughter in Kindergarten is now using it to learn her sounds as well. ### 5/5 — Dr *2016-01-18, version 1.2* Initially this app wouldn't work on my Samsung s3 but support have been absolutely fantastic and I have the app now working perfectly on the iPad. My daughter really enjoys it, it is still early days to know whether it will help with her reading but it is easy to use and most of the other reading apps, I can't get her to do. Great app so far and the app support has been exceptional. ### 5/5 — Flexible, fun and so smart *2014-04-07, version 1.0* My 3.5 yr old son and I have been using this app, together with letter sounds 2 for a while now and they are incredible. It gives him so much satisfaction to realise that he is learning to read, and me lots of satisfaction to be able to customise his learning experience within the apps to suit his rate of progression. My son finds them lots of fun and often he'll be the one suggesting that we open them up. I can highly recommend both apps. You'll end up using them daily! ### 5/5 — Another awesome teaching tool *2014-03-16, version 1.0* I love the automatic scaffolding and the game based teaching approach. This is not your average app! It has become my favourite tool for teaching letter sound relationships. I have three apps from reading doctor and I would highly recommended them for anyone teaching phonics! ### 5/5 — Simply Amazing! *2014-03-14* I've been teaching grades (K-2) for 10 years and I must say this program is amazing! My students are so eager to use this app daily! Works wonders for my special needs students! This app is worth every penny!;) ## Frequently asked questions about Letter Sounds 1 ### What is Letter Sounds 1? Letter Sounds 1 is a paid educational app designed to teach children the links between letters and the speech sounds they represent in English, crucial for reading and spelling. ### Who developed Letter Sounds 1? Letter Sounds 1 was developed by speech and language pathologist Dr. Bartek Rajkowski, PhD, based on research into reading acquisition. ### What accents are available in Letter Sounds 1? Letter Sounds 1 includes US, UK, and Australian accents. You can switch between them by tapping 'settings' from the Main Menu. ### What devices is Letter Sounds 1 compatible with? Letter Sounds 1 requires iPad 2 or higher and is supported on iPads. ### How does Letter Sounds 1 help children learn? It uses a unique system of visual, auditory, and articulatory memory aids (mnemonics) to teach letter-sound relationships and automatically identifies areas where a child needs more practice. ### Is Letter Sounds 1 a game? While children enjoy using it, Letter Sounds 1 is a powerful and customizable teaching tool, not just a game. It's recommended to experiment with it before using it with students. ### What is the price of Letter Sounds 1? Letter Sounds 1 is a paid app priced at $15.99. ### How often is Letter Sounds 1 updated? The latest version is 1.4, and the app was last updated on August 30, 2017. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.4 — 2017-08-30 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. ### 1.2 — 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. ### 1.1 — 2014-05-02 You can now switch between US/UK/Australian accents! To do so, please tap on 'Settings' from the main menu and select the in-game accent of your choice by tapping on a flag. We welcome your feedback regarding the accents (and the app in general). Please contact us: enquiry@readingdoctor.com.au if you have any comments / suggestions. Please don't forget to 'like' us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest news, updates and developments! The ReadingDoctor team :) ### 1.0 — 2013-12-11 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Letter Sounds 1 | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Oz Phonics 3 -Consonant Blends](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-3-consonant-blends/id668467703) | 3.0 (1) | $2.99 | Education | | [Rainbow Sentences](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainbow-sentences/id427578209) | 3.7 (15) | $9.99 | Education | | [Oz Phonics 2 - CVC, CCVC words](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-2-cvc-ccvc-words/id615194551) | 5.0 (1) | $2.99 | Education | | [Describe It Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/describe-it-pro/id1663638629) | 2.0 (3) | $6.99 | Education | | [SCIP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scip/id1006804111) | 5.0 (4) | $59.99 | Education | | [AGO Phonics Sound Pad Premium](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ago-phonics-sound-pad-premium/id944863743) | 5.0 (2) | $1.99 | 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 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) - [Blending Sounds 1 : Phonics Words for Beginners](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blending-sounds-1-phonics-words-for-beginners/id883245394) - [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 2026-06-07.*