SPELLING MAGIC 2 vs Phonics Inventory
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SPELLING MAGIC 2
This app teaches children to read by focusing on consonant blend words. It uses interactive activities to help build words and understand letter sounds, aligning with Science of Reading principles. Two versions are available, offering different word counts and customization options.
- Teaches CVCC and CCVC words
- Focuses on letter sounds and word construction
- Word Building section
- Moveable Alphabet section
- Two levels of challenge
- Developed with educators and Montessori principles
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Introducing SPELLING MAGIC 2, a key to your child's future reading success. SPELLING MAGIC 2 incorporates the main principles of the Science of Reading. SPELLING MAGIC 2 is tailored to focus on CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) words like "hand," "sent," and "gift," as well as CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant) words such as "spin," "flap," and "stop." These types of words are also known as "consonant blend words" and are categorized into themes for enhanced learning. This app is designed to teach children the sounds of letters and how to construct words. It emphasizes the skill of building CCVC/CVCC words with four phonemes using short vowel words, indirectly imparting the essential reading skill of segmenting. With two levels of challenge, it offers a comprehensive learning experience. In the "Word Building" section of the app, only the components (letters) of the word are used for building, while the "Moveable Alphabet" section utilizes the entire alphabet for word construction. Please note that the purpose of this app is to provide ample opportunities for practicing building CCVC & CVCC words, presenting a chance to expand vocabulary. When tapped, the pictures always pronounce the sound of the word that the app prompts the child to build. The free version of SPELLING MAGIC 2 includes 72 words, while the DELUXE version offers 235 words and provides several choices in the options menu, including two types of voices, three font styles, two letter color options, a special feature to connect letters, and over 160 additional words from the free version. Developed by a team of educators using accelerated learning techniques and Montessori principles, this app has been tested and approved by preschoolers, who found it enjoyable and beneficial for learning letter sounds. We eagerly await your feedback and suggestions as we strive to provide a rewarding educational experience for young learners.
Phonics Inventory
This digital tool assesses reading fluency and foundational skills for students in grades 3-12+. It measures decoding, sight word recognition, and letter recognition quickly and efficiently. The assessment can be used for universal screening, intervention placement, and progress monitoring.
- Measures decoding and sight word fluency
- Assesses letter recognition
- Tracks reading progress
- Universal screening
- Intervention placement
- Administered on iPads
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Phonics Inventory™ (formerly known as Scholastic Phonics Inventory) remains the same digital assessment tool that measures decoding and sight word reading fluency in fewer than 10 minutes. PI can be used as a universal screener, or placement into a Tier II or III intervention, as well as a progress monitoring tool. NOW our customers can administer PI on iPads to assess foundational reading skills for grades 3 - 12+. With PI, students' accuracy and fluency are measured in less than 10 minutes: 1. Practice tests measure touchscreen speed/ability. 2. Letter recognition assess students' recognition of lower-case letters. 3. Sight word recognition measure students' knowledge of high-frequency sight-words. 4. Non-Word decoding tests assess students' decoding skills. PI is: - A VALIDATED measure of decoding and sight word fluency - fast and scaleable - perfect for RTI PI for iPad is available to all System 44 Next Generation customers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SPELLING MAGIC 2 at 4.3 against Phonics Inventory's 3.0. SPELLING MAGIC 2 also leads on ratings volume (16 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). Phonics Inventory's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.4). On price, update cadence and ads 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. SPELLING MAGIC 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Phonics Inventory asks for nothing beyond the download.
SPELLING MAGIC 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SPELLING MAGIC 2 has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SPELLING MAGIC 2 | Phonics Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (16 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 185 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Customer experience
SPELLING MAGIC 2
Phonics Inventory
In-app purchases
SPELLING MAGIC 2
- Deluxe Upgrade$1.99
Phonics Inventory
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SPELLING MAGIC 2 free?
Is Phonics Inventory free?
Which has better reviews, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Phonics Inventory?
Do SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Phonics Inventory have ads?
Which is updated more often, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Phonics Inventory?
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