Listen vs Decoding Word Puzzle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Listen
This game trains your hearing by presenting sound cues that you must respond to correctly to navigate obstacles and absorb energy. It uses adaptive algorithms to adjust difficulty to your individual performance level, based on principles of perceptual learning and auditory neuroscience.
- Auditory training game
- Perceptual learning principles
- Reward-based framework
- Adaptive difficulty algorithms
- Sound cue response
- Brain fitness
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Listen is an auditory training game produced by the University of California Riverside (UCR) Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-being; A research unit focused on brain fitness methods and applications. Listen integrates principles of perceptual learning and auditory neuroscience in a reward-based game framework that reinforces program adherence and maintains training efficacy. In the game experience, players find themselves in control of a wisp that must navigate through perilous obstacles by responding appropriately to specific sound cues in order to absorb energy from objects in the environment. The sound cues are based upon language primitives and sound features that selectively drive neurons in the auditory cortex of the brain. While at first the sounds are easy to discriminate, the game’s adaptive algorithms measure each players’ ability to discern the sounds and trains players at their individual threshold of performance. Give it a listen and train your hearing.
Decoding Word Puzzle
Engage your mind with a word puzzle game featuring quotes from famous figures, literature, and movies. Solve creatively designed levels with hints and letter matching, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and an unfolding narrative.
- Quote-based puzzles
- Word creation and letter matching
- Contextual hints
- Hand-drawn artwork
- Narrative mode
- Daily challenges
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Discover the Thrill of Puzzle Solving in "Decoding Word Puzzle"! Welcome to Decoding Word Puzzle, an exceptional and stimulating word challenge game! Dive into a realm filled with quotes from renowned figures, timeless literature, and intriguing movie lines, all sprinkled with a touch of humor. Each level is brimming with insight and cleverness, just waiting for you to unveil. Game Features: Varied Levels: Tackle ingeniously crafted puzzles that blend word creation, contextual hints, and letter matching, providing an exhilarating mental workout. Visual Splendor: Each stage is adorned with breathtaking hand-drawn artwork, offering a stunning artistic experience that enriches your puzzle-solving adventure. Engaging Activities: Participate in butterfly gathering, koi tournaments, daily treasures, and ongoing challenges—there's always something fresh and thrilling to explore! Narrative Mode: Unlock captivating plots as you advance through the game. Complete levels to unveil more mysteries, drawing you deeper into an enchanting story. Prepare to stimulate your intellect and relish a delightful gaming experience with Decoding Word Puzzle! Download now and embark on your adventure!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Decoding Word Puzzle at 4.9 against Listen's 3.1. Decoding Word Puzzle also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (11K vs 12). Listen's advantage is review sentiment (44% vs 27%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Decoding Word Puzzle holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Decoding Word Puzzle has 11K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Listen's written reviews are positive against 27% of Decoding Word Puzzle's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Listen ships an update every 6 weeks, Decoding Word Puzzle daily. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Listen | Decoding Word Puzzle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (12 ratings) | 4.9 (11K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better | 27.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 11K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 129 MB | 255 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Northeastern University Information Services | Peace Word Studio |
Customer experience
Listen
Decoding Word Puzzle
Bugs and requests
Listen
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Decoding Word Puzzle
Reported bugs
2 issues- Forced to restart from beginning after update
- Frequent crashes and freezes
Requested features
2 requests- More puzzle content
- Option to disable ads
In-app purchases
Listen
No in-app purchases
Decoding Word Puzzle
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Listen free?
Is Decoding Word Puzzle free?
Which has better reviews, Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle?
Do Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle have ads?
Which is updated more often, Listen or Decoding Word Puzzle?
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