# Spellyfish Phonics A — Short A Words > Interactive phonics and spelling app for early readers focusing on short 'A' words. (iPhone/iPad app by Pyxwise Software Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spellyfish-phonics-a/id685148980 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Pyxwise Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/456744015) - Category: Education, Games, Family, Word - Price: Free (on sale, was $0.99) - Rating: 4.10/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 22 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 112 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-08-14 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spellyfish-phonics-a/id685148980/reviews.md ## What is Spellyfish Phonics A? Come and join Spellyfish the jellyfish on a fun underwater spelling and reading adventure! The adorable and friendly Spellyfish will help your child learn phonics and the primary letter sounds and letter names for the alphabet. Spellyfish will also teach your child how words can be broken up into separate sounds and how the letter sounds can be blended together to form short words. Your child will also learn how to recognize both the lower case and upper case letters of the alphabet. In addition he/she will learn about the starting sounds of words and how the ending sounds of words can make some words rhyme with each other. Spellyfish 'A' words is aligned with the US Common Core State Standards for building foundational skills in reading for Kindergarten. It teaches the critical phonological and phonemic awareness skills children need for obtaining literacy in both reading and spelling. Your child will learn how to spell consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words that contain the letter 'A' and the short /a/ sound. This includes words such as cat, sat, van, etc. Recommended ages: 4-6 Watch the demo video at goo.gl/TZ9dxP - Winner of the Gold Mom's Choice Award. - The iPhone Mom (5/5) - "Every so often, an app comes along that I instantly love and know is going to be a winner with my kids. Spellyfish – Short A Words was one of those apps. This app has it all: Fantastic graphics, wonderful animation, educational content and FUN!" - FunEducationalApps TOP PICK - "I look at Spellyfish- Short "A" Words, and I see an app that has been designed by someone who knows how to teach beginning readers. - Julie Peterson SLP - Smart Apps For Kids (4.5/5) - "This app is an absolute necessity for any teacher or parent of a kindergarten or first grade student (or students spelling at the early level.) It very effectively teaches letter sounds, basic spelling, and even vocabulary. - AutismPluggedIn - "This is surely going to become one of my go-to apps when it comes to recommending spelling programs, and you should definitely try it out!" - The iMums (4.5/5) - Kids App Reviews (4.5/5) Features: - All words are beautifully illustrated. - Words are presented and used in context by the adorable and friendly Spellyfish! - An introduction list guides students on how to use the app. - Word lists organized by rhymes (rimes) and onsets. - A powerful phonics hint feature breaks each word down into individual phonemes and then presents the allowable graphemes that correspond to each sound. - The hint feature also contains contextually relevant spelling rules that help explain “how to spell” English words. - A unique letter by letter feedback system provides feedback while the student is in the process of spelling each word. - Supportive scaffolding guarantees success on every word. - Supports up to 40 user accounts for classroom and family learning. - Tracks your child's progress to allow you to see at a glance words that he/she has mastered and words that require further practice. - Export & email student progress reports. - Resumes from where children last left off. - Presents both upper and lower case letters. - Presents both letter sounds and letter names. - Supports both alphabetic and QWERTY keyboard layouts. KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE 
 As a MOMs with Apps member, we follow the 
"Know what's inside" best practices for kids' apps We care about your child's privacy. Privacy Disclosure: - Does not contain 3rd party ads. - Does not share any data. - Does not track your child's location. - Does not contain In-App purchases. - Does not contain links to social media. - Does not contain push notifications. - Contains in app links to view a safe enclosed version of the developer's website for additional information, support and teaching tips. - Contains child protected links that allow you to : "email the developer questions" and to rate the app. COPPA Compliant http://www.pyxwise.com/privacypolicy.html ## Key features - Teaches phonics and letter sounds - Word blending and segmentation - Uppercase and lowercase letter recognition - Rhyming and word beginnings - Spelling CVC words with short 'A' - Phonics hint feature - Progress tracking ## Recent user reviews (10 of 22) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spellyfish-phonics-a/id685148980/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Well done but way too limited *2014-01-11, version 1.2.3* I bought this app thinking there would be way more levels to advance to. There are only a few short lists of very simple (3 letter) words. For a preschooler it would be ok but don't buy it for anyone older or fast learners. ### 5/5 — Wonderful Short A Lessons *2013-12-04, version 1.2.3* This is the perfect app for learning short A words in a very engaging, simple, and colorful format! Children will learn word families and vocabulary, and everything is saved for the individual child. The Spelly Fish character is wonderful! ### 5/5 — Short i is out...just waiting for the rest! *2013-12-04, version 1.2.3* I've been using this short a app with my reading intervention groups. I'm planning to buy the short i version which just came out. If the short i is as good as the short a, there's not doubt that I'll be buying the rest. Thank you! ### 5/5 — Love this app for short a CVC words! *2013-12-04, version 1.2.3* Not only are players asked to spell a word that is stated, that word is also used contextually to aid in identification. The word is sounded out as the player taps letters on the keyboard and there is opportunity to self-correct when a word is misspelled. The player doesn't have to wait for the context clue to spell the word which allows for self-pacing nor do they have to follow the order of lists; s/he can choose which list of words to work on. This is a great app for the price--hope they continue developing apps for other word families! ### 4/5 — Great beginning spelling app! *2013-12-04, version 1.2.3* I love this app as a beginning spelling app. It has a nice little introduction and helps kids with CVC words! Thanks! ### 4/5 — LOVE this app! *2013-11-25, version 1.2.3* Great graphics add to this super app to practice word families. Great for ages 4-6. Can add multiple players. Shows progress for each individual. ### 4/5 — Spellyfish *2013-11-04, version 1.2.3* Spellyfish is a fun app good for phonics and CVC spelling words (featuring the vowel "a"). The game is very interactive and fun for kids to play. I like the having the ability to create different user areas for all of my students. The animation and sound are fun and offer auditory prompts and visual prompts when needed. The app itself it easy to guide through. ### 4/5 — Spellyfish *2013-09-25, version 1.0.0* This is a great app for emerging readers. It takes some adult involvement to get the settings right as well as to go over the instructions for using the app. Once the spelling begins it is very user friendly for a young child. The word to picture associations are very clear, along with the sounding out of each letter sound by spellyfish. I hope that this app is developed further with the addition of more words and extensions to the learning. This app is also good for multiple users and saves their progress for easy assessment. ### 1/5 — Boring!! *2013-09-12, version 1.0.0* Very boring, does not teach many words. ### 4/5 — Nice Spelling App! *2013-09-09, version 1.0.0* Spellyfish - Short A Words is a fun way for kids to practice building CVC words containing short a. With clear instructions prior to game play, and excellent graphics, children will be engaged in learning to spell words. I like how the user can press a letter and hear the sound it makes. Very nicely done app! I would like to see the addition of more CVC words with the other vowels for a more robust app! Recommended! ## Frequently asked questions about Spellyfish Phonics A ### What age group is Spellyfish Phonics A designed for? Spellyfish Phonics A is recommended for children aged 4-6 years old. It is particularly beneficial for kindergarten and first-grade students developing foundational reading and spelling skills. ### What learning standards does Spellyfish Phonics A follow? The app is aligned with the US Common Core State Standards for building foundational skills in reading for Kindergarten. It focuses on critical phonological and phonemic awareness skills. ### Can Spellyfish Phonics A be used by multiple children? Yes, Spellyfish Phonics A supports up to 40 user accounts, making it suitable for classroom or family learning environments. It also tracks each child's progress individually. ### How does Spellyfish Phonics A help with spelling? The app teaches children how to spell consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words containing the letter 'A' and the short /a/ sound, like 'cat' and 'sat'. It provides letter-by-letter feedback and supportive scaffolding. ### Does Spellyfish Phonics A offer any special features for learning? Yes, it includes a powerful phonics hint feature that breaks down words into individual phonemes and presents corresponding graphemes. It also offers contextually relevant spelling rules. ### What kind of feedback does Spellyfish Phonics A provide? Spellyfish Phonics A offers unique letter-by-letter feedback as the student spells each word. This system is designed to guarantee success and reinforce learning. ### Is Spellyfish Phonics A available on multiple devices? Spellyfish Phonics A is available for iPhone and iPad. It is designed to run on these iOS devices. ### How often is Spellyfish Phonics A updated? The app was last updated on October 13, 2019, with version 1.7.0. While updates are not frequent, the core educational content remains valuable for its target audience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.7.0 — 2019-10-13 Updated for iOS 13.1 Fixed screen layout issues on some newer iPhone models running iOS 13.1. ### 1.6.2 — 2019-02-03 Updated for iOS 12. ### 1.6.1 — 2017-11-13 Updated for iOS 11. ### 1.5.2 — 2016-02-28 Updated for full future 64 bit support. Reduced the download file size. Some minor tweaks based on customer feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions, please send us your feedback to ios.apps@pyxwise.com. If you have found that Spellyfish has helped your student/child, please take the time to leave a review. We really appreciated your feedback. :) ### 1.2.3 — 2013-11-03 - Added ability to choose between /kw/ & /k/ for the Q sound. - Updated for the Kids category. - Improved the organization of the word lists. - Improved a few sound files. - Some minor art improvements. - Fixed issue with microphone use pop-up appearing under iOS7. - Other minor improvements based on your feedback. ## Apps similar to Spellyfish Phonics A | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Math Agent 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/math-agent-2/id1502273343) | 4.9 (7) | Free | Education | | [Word Reader - Skinny Books 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/word-reader-skinny-books-2/id1171465440) | — | $1.99 | Education | | [Sentence Key WHOisDOingWHAT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sentence-key-whoisdoingwhat/id601159411) | 4.7 (3) | $4.99 | Education | | [Leonardo Fibonacci](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leonardo-fibonacci/id1437912259) | 5.0 (1) | $1.99 | Education | | [Milo Numbers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/milo-numbers/id1384247970) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Eggy Phonics 1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eggy-phonics-1/id654855366) | — | $1.99 | Education | ## More apps by Pyxwise Software Inc. - [Simplex Spelling HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-hd/id456744012) - [Simplex Spelling Light](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-light/id465715154) - [Simplex Spelling Phonics 1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-1/id481553580) - [Simplex Spelling Phonics 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-2/id527299540) - [Simplex Spelling Phonics 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-3/id572136313) - [Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-cvc/id580762950) All apps by Pyxwise Software Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/456744015 --- *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.*