Comparison

Gopher Finding vs Syllable Word Search

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Gopher Finding

This educational game helps children aged 5-8 practice sight words and high-frequency words through engaging gameplay. Children help a gopher find words across four learning levels, earning rewards to dress up the character and track progress.

Highlights
  • Sight word practice for 5-8 year olds
  • Four learning levels (K-3rd grade)
  • High-frequency word practice
  • Reward system for dressing up a gopher
  • Progress reports for parents/teachers
  • Professionally recorded voice talent
Features
Read full description

Gopher Finding is a great app for 5-8 years old children. It is divided into 4 levels to help them practice sight words in their levels (from kindergarten thru 3rd grade) and have one more level for high frequency words. All of 217 sight words (from Dolch Sight Word List) and 126 high frequency words used in this app are important and useful for beginning readers. In this game, your child will help gopher to find sight words. Every time they get 20% correct, they will get the reward (i.e., a shirt, hat, pants, sunglasses or shoes) to dress up the gopher. Moreover, they can collect all the different dress-up collections as they go. The rewards from each game will also collect in the reward chest and they can dress up the gopher as they want for their own collection. This really encourages them to learn things and have fun at the same time. Gopher Finding also includes the progress report for parents and teachers to see how well their children can learn and recognize the words. This game will help your child master identifying sight words and high frequency words for their early reading skills. **All sight words have been recorded by professional voice talent. *** If you have any questions or problems related to our app, please email us at playsmart.kids@gmail.com. We are willing to assist you.

About

Syllable Word Search

This educational game helps children learn to break down words into syllables and build them. It features a space explorer theme with 27 missions that progressively increase in difficulty, offering customizable gameplay and phonics practice.

Highlights
  • Syllable identification and building
  • 27 progressive missions
  • Customizable mission creation
  • Phonics and spelling practice
  • Vocabulary building with 3,700+ words
  • Multiple English voice options
  • Dyslexia-friendly font option
Features
Read full description

Hard words are easier when you break them into syllables. In Syllable Word Search, kids find syllables on a board and put them together to build real English words, while they join Spike, the space explorer, on 27 missions across the planets. *** 2015 Academics' Choice Award – Smart Media Winner *** HOW TO PLAY Each mission shows a board of syllable cards and a list of words to find. Tap the syllables of each word to build it. Get it right and the cards disappear; get it wrong and they flip back. Clear the board to finish the mission and win up to 3 stars. 27 MISSIONS THAT GET HARDER The first missions are simple: short words, small boards and green hint cards that show which syllable comes next. As you move ahead, Spike adds new challenges: * Syllables must be picked in order, from first to last. * A limited number of moves for the whole board. * A time limit for the board, or a few seconds per word. * Cards that can only be turned a few times before they burn up. * Repeated syllables on the board, so you have to read carefully. * Bigger boards and longer words, from 2 up to 6 syllables. CREATE YOUR OWN MISSION Pick a planet (word theme) and set your own rules: syllable order, hints, repeated syllables, moves, flips per card, and time limits. Or start from a ready-made challenge: Hyperspace, Dangerous or Black Hole. WHAT KIDS PRACTICE * Breaking words into syllables (phonological awareness) * Phonics, spelling and decoding of longer words * Reading and vocabulary with 3,700+ English words in 14 themes: animals, food, people, places, school, sports, nature, transportation and more * Visual memory and attention MADE FOR EVERY READER * Hear each word read aloud with a US, UK, Australian, Irish or South African English voice. * Choose the card font: OpenDyslexic, designed for readers with dyslexia, or Futura. * Show the word whole or split into syllables (ex-am-ple) with one tap. * Menus in English or Spanish. FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS Great for elementary school, reading intervention, ESL/ELL classes, homeschool and learning centers. * No third-party ads. * Works offline. * Purchases and settings are protected by a parental gate. * Track progress with stars per mission and a top-10 records board. Looking for the Spanish version? Search for "Sopa de Sílabas". FREE AND PREMIUM ACCESS Download for free and play the first 3 missions. Premium Access (monthly or yearly) unlocks all 27 missions, the full word list with 14 themes, and Create Your Own Mission. Already bought the full version? You keep all the content at no extra cost: just tap "Restore Purchases". Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. For schools: look for "Syllable Word Search - School", with all the content included in a single purchase. Privacy Policy: https://bqware.com/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Gopher Finding4 screens
Syllable Word Search4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Syllable Word Search at 88% against Gopher Finding's 33%. Syllable Word Search also leads on price (Free vs $0.99). Gopher Finding's advantage is rating (3.4 vs 2.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Syllable Word Search is free to download; Gopher Finding costs $0.99 up front. Syllable Word Search sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Gopher Finding asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gopher Finding holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Gopher Finding's written reviews are positive against 88% of Syllable Word Search's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gopher Finding ships an update every 18 months, Syllable Word Search every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Gopher Finding versus Syllable Word Search: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGopher FindingSyllable Word Search
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.4 (7 ratings) — better2.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 13 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.2 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJariya TuantranontBQWare

Customer experience

Gopher Finding

All ratings7 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Syllable Word Search

All ratings6 ratings
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.4%

In-app purchases

None

Gopher Finding

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Syllable Word Search

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Access (1 Month)$2.991 Month
  • Premium Access (1 Year)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Version$29.99

Questions

Is Gopher Finding free?
Gopher Finding costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Syllable Word Search free?
Syllable Word Search is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gopher Finding or Syllable Word Search?
Gopher Finding is rated higher. Gopher Finding averages 3.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Syllable Word Search averages 2.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Gopher Finding or Syllable Word Search have ads?
Neither Gopher Finding nor Syllable Word Search shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gopher Finding or Syllable Word Search?
Gopher Finding ships an update every 18 months, and Syllable Word Search every 13 months. Most recently, Gopher Finding was updated on November 1, 2026 and Syllable Word Search on November 9, 2026.

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