# Monster Phonics — Learn to Spell > Multi-sensory phonics app for learning high-frequency words with character cues and color coding. (iPhone/iPad app by Ingrid Connors.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-phonics/id892665116 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Ingrid Connors](https://appshunter.io/developer/892665119) - Category: Education, Games - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 11 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 784 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2014-07-06 - Data updated: 2026-08-24 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-phonics/id892665116/reviews.md ## What is Monster Phonics? Monster Phonics products are already listed as highly effective multi-sensory phonics resources by the Department for Education, UK (2014). Monster Phonics has also been selected by BETT futures as one of the top 20 most inspiring new ed-tech ideas in the UK. This app supports the reading and spelling of the first 100 high frequency words and is part of a wider phonics scheme that supports the New Curriculum for Spelling (KS1) and phonics in Reception. Monster Phonics is a synthetic phonics scheme. It is unique in that it uses character (monster) phoneme cues and colour coding to represent the sounds A, E, I, O, U, oo, ow, silent letters and tricky letters. Each monster and its corresponding colour is linked to a specific set of graphemes that makes the particular phoneme. Monster Phonics Apps have been developed specifically to make phonics more accessible for all learners. The revolutionary use of colour coding and characterisation has been proven to dramatically accelerate progress in reading. Monster Phonics also teaches handwriting and the correct letter formation for the first 100 words. This Monster Phonics APP show how the first 100 words are more accessible to children because of the use of colour. The number of “tricky” words is reduced considerably with the colour coding system. There will be 2 Monster Phonics APPs covering the first 300 words. Once learned these words stay with children forever. The first 300 words make up 65% of all reading texts. Learning these words quickly is incredibly important for all children. Selected to be in the BETT Futures Cohort - January 2015! ## Key features - Multi-sensory phonics learning - Character phoneme cues - Color coding for sounds - Teaches first 100 high-frequency words - Supports reading and spelling - Handwriting and letter formation ## Recent user reviews (10 of 11) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-phonics/id892665116/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Issues on iPad *2024-02-25* My 5 year old is doing monster phonics at school. I have put the app on both my iPhone and on her iPad. On the iPad, the app seems to be more zoomed in… this is leading to some of the bigger words not fitting on the screen, and we are unable to complete spelling the long word and moving on to the next. ( example being the word ‘children’) very frustrating for my child who then gives up playing/learning on the app. It works fine on my phone but I don’t want her using a phone. Please could you look at this in an update ### 2/5 — Poor implementation *2019-10-09* While the concept of Monster Phonics might be great, this app is not. It is clumsy. Of particular frustration to a child using the app is the letter writing practice. It does not register the first part of the letter you are writing so it doesn’t work properly. There are lots of little UI issues that leave the child confused. Shoddy work. ### 5/5 — Brilliant for children *2019-05-10* My daughters school has just started using monster phonics. She loves playing this at home and especially loves buying accessories from the shop. Great to know she’s learning the same thing at home as at school. ### 5/5 — Absolutely brilliant *2018-10-27* My daughter has just started year R and the school are using the monster phonics scheme. The app is great at teaching and reinforcing and the reward via the pet shop bit has got my daughter hooked on learning. ### 5/5 — Well done! *2015-03-28* I have both this app and the other Phonics 2 app with more high frequency words and they are both professionally made to engage and teach children. Each character has its own silly and catchy song that plays when you open up a lesson for that character's sound. The pronunciation is in British English, but I have only noticed minor differences in pronunciation. Just a heads up. This app is worth it for the songs alone, but there three activities to do for each sound too- a word unscramble, tracing, and spelling. ### 5/5 — Amazing App *2015-01-22* This is a stunning App! It helps with sounds, spelling and writing in a really fun and engaging way. It was wonderful to watch my little girl learn so much, so quickly and be so happy. Can't wait to get the next 100 words! ### 1/5 — HFW? *2014-08-31* Really disappointing product. Why are phonemes spelt with more than one letter split onto different tiles? ### 5/5 — Great App *2014-08-27* Fabulous App. My son loved this and kept returning to the different monster. He even hummed some of the songs. The activities are great and he is really improving his spelling. great App. ### 5/5 — Super! *2014-07-16* I LOVE this app! Thank you so much. My 5 year old granddaughter is addicted to the pet shop and she adores the monsters - especially the pink one. It is really educational. She started off loving the Trace mode but has begun to enjoy the Mix mode and the Spell mode. The colour coding for sounds is so simple and effective - I think it is really superb and should be in schools. My other granddaughter who is 8 years old had quite a lot of fun with it too. In fact, they've had to take turns! Love the songs too. This APP has a touch of magic about it - the best children's learning APP we have. More please Monster Phonics! ### 5/5 — A superb phonics app *2014-07-08* Fun, motivating and well designed with intuitive controls. The Monster Phonics programme for teaching phonics in Primary schools is excellent and this app matches the learning objectives of this programme very well. The children in my Year 1 class adore this app and always request to play it during Golden Time on a Friday afternoon. My daughter also enjoys playing this at home and she loves collecting the coins to unlock animals and accessories in the pet shop. The soundtrack is also utterly charming. An excellent app to support learning at home or at school. ## Frequently asked questions about Monster Phonics ### What learning methodology does Monster Phonics use? Monster Phonics employs a synthetic phonics scheme that uniquely uses character (monster) phoneme cues and color coding to represent sounds. This multi-sensory approach is designed to make phonics more accessible and accelerate reading progress. ### What content does Monster Phonics cover? The app focuses on teaching the first 100 high-frequency words, which constitute a significant portion of all reading texts. It also supports the New Curriculum for Spelling (KS1) and phonics in Reception. ### How does Monster Phonics help with difficult words? The app's revolutionary use of color coding and characterization significantly reduces the number of "tricky" words children need to memorize. These learned words are intended to stay with children permanently. ### What devices is Monster Phonics available on? Monster Phonics is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, making it accessible on various Apple mobile platforms. ### How often is Monster Phonics updated? The latest version of Monster Phonics is 1.4, which was last updated on February 21, 2021. This indicates a moderate update frequency for the application. ### What is the price of Monster Phonics? Monster Phonics is a paid application, priced at $2.99. This one-time purchase grants access to its learning features. ### Does Monster Phonics have ads? No, Monster Phonics is ad-free. Users can engage with the learning content without any advertisements interrupting their experience. ### What is the age rating for Monster Phonics? Monster Phonics has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for children aged four and above who are beginning their reading and spelling journey. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.4 — 2021-02-21 - Improve performances - Add iPhone support - Fix problems with new iPad resolutions ### 1.3.1 — 2020-05-26 - Change main menu background ### 1.3.0 — 2020-05-12 - Bugs fixed ### 1.2 — 2016-08-01 Add ability to mute the background music ### 1.1 — 2014-11-18 - Add instructions text - Bugs fixed ## Apps similar to Monster Phonics | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Sight Words Adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-words-adventure/id931529829) | 3.4 (9) | $2.99 | Education | | [Smart Education: Learn To Read](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-education-learn-to-read/id1602269930) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Learn Greek Alphabet Now](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-greek-alphabet-now/id1182917261) | 4.1 (55) | $2.99 | Education | | [78Bart](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/78bart/id1130844882) | 1.0 (1) | $29.99 | Education | | [Twinkl Interactive 100 Square](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twinkl-interactive-100-square/id1069316825) | 4.6 (31) | Free | Education | | [Chess Max Academy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-max-academy/id1621009770) | 5.0 (2) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Ingrid Connors - [Monster Phonics 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monster-phonics-2/id948640592) All apps by Ingrid Connors: https://appshunter.io/developer/892665119 --- *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 2026-08-24.*