# Montessorium: Intro to Words — Read and write with Montessori > Montessori-based app for children to learn reading, writing, and spelling phonetically. (iPhone/iPad app by Higher Ground Education Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-words/id394038232 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Higher Ground Education Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454529841) - Category: Education, Games, Family - Price: Free - Rating: 2.93/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 61 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 257 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2010-12-17 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-words/id394038232/reviews.md ## What is Montessorium? "Drawing on the Montessori system, Alpha Writer has been designed to make learning to read and write a joy." - Financial Times The possibilities are endless when children begin to understand the written word. Intro to Words guides your child so that they can learn to write, read and spell phonetically, and compose their own words and stories with original illustrations! Based on the proven methodology of Montessori. —— WHY PHONETICS? A phonetic word or phrase means every letter has a sound. Examples include JAM, WET, or GUM. A child can decode these words without needing to memorize tricky English language rules, and that means they are the perfect introduction to writing and reading. Explore an entire section of just phonetic words in Intro to Words. WHAT’S A PHONOGRAM? Phonograms are two letters that come together to make a unique sound, like SH, AI, or OW. Children use these two letter combinations to construct words like SHIP, RAIN, and COW. Your child will listen as a gentle voice pronounces phonograms in Intro to Words, then it’s their turn to give spelling a try. MORE ABOUT WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN: • Basic foundations of language • To write, read and spell phonetically • Identify consonants and vowels • Phonograms - writing and pronunciation • Letter sounds, pronunciation and composition • How to compose, identify and spell phonetic words • To write, create and read stories • Fine motor skills CHOOSE AN ARTIST We offer over 100 unique, phonetic illustrations, from 3 different internationally acclaimed artists: Zeptonn, Mike Lowery and Marloes de Vries. Pick your favorite to work with, or rotate between all three! CREATE YOUR OWN STORY Let loose in the storyboard section of Intro to Words! Your child has access to all illustrations, letters and phonograms to create a masterpiece of their own. Play alongside your child for moments of learning as a family. SOUND GAMES Enjoy a game of I-Spy to help your child become familiar with letter sounds. Listen as Intro to Words introduces three objects, followed by “I spy with my little eye...something beginning with sss” for example. Your child will be prompted to select an object that begins with that letter sound! “Which object starts with sss?” THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND INTRO TO WORDS A tested and proven aspect to the Montessori method is that writing comes before reading. Intro to Words places an emphasis on the phonetic sounds used to build a word rather than spelling or reading comprehension. Children can learn the letter sounds and combinations of letter sounds at their own pace! —— We would love to hear from you. · Visit our website: www.montessorium.com · Follow us on Twitter: @montessorium · Join us on Facebook: @montessorium. ## Key features - Phonetic reading and writing - Phonogram learning - Word composition - Story creation - Sound games - Original illustrations ## Recent user reviews (10 of 61) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-words/id394038232/reviews.md ### 2/5 — This app has so much potential, but it’s so buggy *2022-01-19* A beautiful and simple app and I can see where they are going, but it’s very buggy. The first and easiest lesson has a bug and you can move past it. Please creators; fix it because it has so much to offer the world in the form of “slow tech” ### 1/5 — Very poor phonics *2021-10-20* The person providing the instructions is obviously not a Montessori teacher. The first word the child is asked to build is “bug.” Bug does not begin with buh, but /b/ as in bit. ### 5/5 — This is just what I’ve been looking for *2020-11-13* It’s a little glitchy and could use an update, but this is really a wonderful tool that is helping me teach my twins to read. Thank y’all for developing this awesome app! ### 5/5 — Great for just learning how to sound out words *2020-02-02* I really like this app! It makes the sound of the letters when the letters are touched. It has a section to build words and breaks them down by sound for kids to start learning how to sound out and build words. It also has a free write area for kids to explore building words on their own by sound. ### 1/5 — Poorly designed *2018-11-08* This app offers no more than what parents can do with a pen and paper. Truly dissatisfied. I also cannot get any sound. Would really like a refund. ### 4/5 — More for ages 3-6 than 6-8 *2018-04-11* I wish there was a preview option as I would not have paid for this app for my 8 year olds. This is very Montessori like but I think more towards ages 3-6 than 6-8. If you are looking for younger kids, this will be awesome. ### 1/5 — Fundamentally Flawed Approach *2017-11-05* The app has kids spell simple words, choosing letters from a list of all the letters in the alphabet. However, it treats vowel diagraphs (two vowels together that make a single sound) as if they were separate letters. These are all listed at the end of the the standard alphabet. So, when a child is asked to spell the word "boy" they can't choose the letters B-O-Y. Instead the have to first choose B then scroll all the way past the end of the normal alphabet list and find OY from a long list of diagraphs (AI, AY, OO, OI, OY, etc.). It might make sense to a linguist, but it's confusing for a child just learning to spell. ### 1/5 — Since the update it will not turn on *2017-06-09, version 4.0* Most recent update results in the app not turning on at all. It just turns the screen black and either crashes or sits for ages until you force quit. Used to work perfectly fine before I updated it to the fancy-sounding new version. ### 1/5 — Horrible *2015-08-09, version 3.0* Not intuitive and has no sound. This is not a quality app that can be easily used by a child. This app should be withdrawn by the developer, it feels like a scam. Don't buy it. To the developer: give me my money back. ### 3/5 — No sound *2015-04-28, version 3.0* There is no sound, settings page or guidance for parents. Any help for the sound issues? ## Frequently asked questions about Montessorium ### What does Montessorium: Intro to Words do? This app guides children in learning to write, read, and spell phonetically. It emphasizes the Montessori method, focusing on letter sounds and combinations to help children compose their own words and stories with original illustrations. ### What are the key learning features of this app? Key features include learning the basic foundations of language, phonetic reading and spelling, identifying consonants and vowels, understanding and using phonograms, and composing, identifying, and spelling phonetic words. Children can also write and create their own stories. ### How does this app teach children to read and write? The app utilizes a phonetic approach, where each letter has a sound, making it easier for children to decode words without memorizing complex rules. It also introduces phonograms, which are two-letter combinations that create unique sounds, helping children build words. ### Is this app free to use? The app is free to download and use, but it offers in-app purchases. These purchases likely provide access to additional illustrations or features beyond the core learning experience. ### What is the philosophy behind Montessorium: Intro to Words? The app is based on the Montessori philosophy, which suggests that writing often comes before reading. It prioritizes teaching children the phonetic sounds used to build words, allowing them to learn at their own pace and develop a strong foundation in language. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.2 — 2017-11-23 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Updated for iOS 11. ### 4.1 — 2017-06-13 Bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 4.0 — 2017-06-06 Intro to Words, formerly known as Alpha Writer, has been completely redesigned! ### 3.0 — 2013-12-20 As we set out to update Alpha Writer, we intended only to make a few minor changes. However, we couldn’t help ourselves - we’ve completely redesigned the app! We've also unlocked all artist packs! ### 2.2 — 2012-12-19 •Updates to artist collection ## Apps similar to Montessorium | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Montessori Ultimate Geography](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-ultimate-geography/id434973556) | 4.4 (10) | Free | Education | | [Montessori Math](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-math/id1528038775) | 3.5 (6) | Free | Education | | [Word Wagon by Duck Duck Moose](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/word-wagon-by-duck-duck-moose/id423629048) | 4.0 (32) | Free | Education | | [READING MAGIC 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-3/id446469837) | 4.6 (10) | Free | Education | | [READING MAGIC-Learning to Read](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-learning-to-read/id416896853) | 4.6 (23) | Free | Education | | [Montessori Math Learning Games](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-math-learning-games/id1134884131) | 4.9 (633) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Higher Ground Education Inc - [Montessorium: Intro to Math](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-math/id381064973) - [Montessorium: Intro to Letters](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-letters/id387232375) - [Montessorium: Intro to Colors](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-colors/id630682398) - [Montessorium: Intro to Cursive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-cursive/id687552892) - [Montessorium: Intro to US](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessorium-intro-to-us/id999666267) All apps by Higher Ground Education Inc: https://appshunter.io/developer/1454529841 --- *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.*