# Oz Phonics 1 — Phonemic Awareness, Letters

> Early reading app for phonemic awareness and letter-sound recognition. (iPhone/iPad app by DSP Learning Pty Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-1/id580335894 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [DSP Learning Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/556500951)
- Category: Education, Games, Word
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 65 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-12-10
- Data updated: 2026-06-05
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-1/id580335894/reviews.md

## What is Oz Phonics 1?

Visit ozphonics.com for free worksheets to accompany this app.
Exercises covering US Common Core State Standards: RF/K/2a, RF/K/2d, RF/K/3a, RF/K/3b(short vowels only). This app is focused on phonemic awareness and letter/sound knowledge.

Oz Phonics 1 has 10 exercises and 2 sound reference screens, covering the beginning steps of both spelling and reading. Students are trained to listen first, before they even see the letters written down. Matching the sounds they hear to the written letters is the next step.

1.Sound Match

Being able to differentiate between sounds and match identical ones is fundamental to the reading and spelling process.  Here we play a sound matching game with a random selection from the 28 sounds covered in this app. 

2.Odd One Out – Beginning Sound

Listen to all the beginning sounds, then drag the odd one out into the basket.

3.  Odd One Out – Rhyme
This activity is quite difficult and requires careful listening and remembering. Note that some of the words in this exercise are nonsense words. 

4.  Phonics Sounds Reference
We learn to read and spell by listening to the sounds in the words, not the names of the letters, (though these will be important later on).  This screen allows the student to listen to the word first, then hear the sound at the beginning. 

Note the first sound in ‘quiz’ is /k/ (not /kw/).  

At this point we teach the sounds of the letter ‘x’ when it comes at the end of the word six, /ks/. 

We introduce the end sound in the word sunny /ee/.  

Another new sound is /th/at the beginning of  this.   Because we could not represent this word with a picture, we have shown it in letters.  It is underlined because it is a voiced sound.  (An unvoiced /th/ is heard at the beginning of thin.)

5.  Odd One Out – Beginning Vowel

Vowels are more difficult than consonants.  Careful listening is necessary for this activity.  Tap the tiles again if you don’t get it the first time.  The word honest begins with a silent ‘h’ – the first sound we hear is the short /ŏ/. 

6.  Missing Beginning Sound
Tap on the middle and end tiles to hear that part of the word.  Think which sound is missing, then tap on the colored tiles until you find it.  Drag that tile onto the question mark.  The whole word will then be sounded out.  Note that the tiles represent sounds not letters – the word egg has two sounds and therefore only two tiles.

7.  Missing End Sound
Tap on the first tiles to hear that part of the word.  Think which sound is missing, then tap on the colored tiles until you find it.  Drag that tile onto the question mark.  The whole word will then be sounded out.

8.  Missing Middle Sound
Tap on the first and last tiles to hear those parts of the word.  Think which sound is missing, then tap on the coloured tiles until you find it.  Drag that tile onto the question mark.  The whole word will then be sounded out. Note that most students find the middle sound most difficult to identify.

9.  Sound Match (letter visible)
Consonants are black and vowels are red. Tap on the tiles until you find a matching pair.  When you tap them quickly, one after the other, the lizards will gobble them up.  You may play this again.

10.  Phonics Touch Pad
Tap on each tile to hear the sound.  Make up some two-letter words like on, in, up, at; three-letter words like cat, dog, man, fox, big, sun, ten; four-letter words like this, that, then.  You will be surprised how many words the student will be able to make.

11.  Vowel Test
Test how many vowel sounds your student knows.

12.  Phonics Sound Test – 28 sounds
Note there are three letters that make the /k/ sound – ‘c’, ‘k’ and ‘q’.  It does not matter in which order you tap on them.  

When the letter ‘y’ is a consonant and says /y/, it is black.  When it is a vowel and says /ee/, it is red.

## Key features

- Phonemic awareness exercises
- Letter-sound matching
- Sound differentiation games
- Beginning and ending sound identification
- Rhyme recognition
- Sound reference screens

## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-1/id580335894/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Sound match

*2016-05-09, version 1.4*

I like the sound match part of this app best. It helps with listening skills and assesses letter sound knowledge. Some of the sounds are difficult to differentiate especially the vowel sounds.

### 5/5 — Clear and really say to use

*2016-03-25, version 1.4*

This app and its companions are so easy to use, and have such a comprehensive presentation of phonics that they are an easy pick for school use.

Highly recommended.

### 4/5 — Great resource

*2015-04-12, version 1.4*

Love this app. The letter sound reference is fantastic, and I love that it is an Australian accent. Only recommendation is to put the letters/pictures on the tiles in the games.

### 5/5 — Great for literacy groups

*2015-03-15, version 1.3*

Using this app both for one on one work with struggling readers and for kindergarten literacy groups. Great Aussie accent resource.

### 1/5 — Really?

*2015-03-11, version 1.3*

Does not work and absolute silence from the developers from inquiries.

### 5/5 — A must have!!

*2014-11-03, version 1.3*

I have look at so many phonics apps over the years and this is by far the best I have ever come across. It is clean and simple and the content is great and comes with printable work sheets off their website. I have bought all 3 oz phonic apps and have printed out all work sheets and my son has taken well to it all.

### 1/5 — Doesn't work!

*2012-12-22, version 1.0*

This application doesn't work.  There is no sound and no instructions!

## Frequently asked questions about Oz Phonics 1

### What is Oz Phonics 1?

Oz Phonics 1 is an educational app designed to teach phonemic awareness and letter-sound recognition. It features 10 interactive exercises and sound reference screens to help young children develop early reading and spelling skills.

### What age is Oz Phonics 1 for?

Oz Phonics 1 is suitable for children aged 4 and above. Its content aligns with US Common Core State Standards for kindergarten, focusing on foundational literacy skills.

### How does Oz Phonics 1 teach reading?

The app emphasizes listening to sounds before seeing letters, helping students match sounds to written letters. Exercises include sound matching, identifying the odd sound out, and filling in missing sounds in words.

### Does Oz Phonics 1 have ads?

No, Oz Phonics 1 does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application focused on providing an uninterrupted learning experience for children.

### What devices does Oz Phonics 1 support?

Oz Phonics 1 is currently supported on iPads. It is designed to leverage the tablet interface for interactive learning.

### How often is Oz Phonics 1 updated?

The latest version of Oz Phonics 1 is 1.7, which was last updated on June 10, 2025. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements.

### What is the price of Oz Phonics 1?

Oz Phonics 1 is available for a one-time purchase of $2.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscription fees associated with the app.

### What learning standards does Oz Phonics 1 cover?

Oz Phonics 1 covers US Common Core State Standards, specifically RF/K/2a, RF/K/2d, RF/K/3a, and RF/K/3b (for short vowels). This ensures the app's content is educationally aligned.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.7 — 2025-06-10

Updated for newer IOS version

### 1.6 — 2021-05-19

Fix for use with bluetooth headphones

### 1.5 — 2020-06-26

Updated for IOS 13

### 1.4 — 2015-03-23

changes to mute setting

### 1.3 — 2014-01-23

bug fix

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## More apps by DSP Learning Pty Ltd

- [Intro To Reading by Oz Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/intro-to-reading-by-oz-phonics/id556500708)
- [Reading Intro by Oz Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-intro-by-oz-phonics/id564753775)
- [Oz Phonics 2 - CVC, CCVC words](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-2-cvc-ccvc-words/id615194551)
- [Oz Phonics 3 -Consonant Blends](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-3-consonant-blends/id668467703)
- [Oz Phonics 4](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oz-phonics-4/id1063170939)

All apps by DSP Learning Pty Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/556500951

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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 2026-06-05.*
