Spell vs Phonogram Sounds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spell
An early academic program designed for learners of all levels to practice letter identification, spelling, and word recognition. It supports external keyboards and offers special feedback for blind learners, utilizing an errorless learning method with embedded scaffolding.
- Errorless learning method
- Supports external keyboards
- Scaffolding for cognitive challenges
- Customizable word lists
- Feedback for blind learners
- Early academic program
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This large-print, early academic program is for beginning to advanced letter users. It uses an errorless learning method. Spell-A-Word works on identification, spelling, & word recognition (for reading). WORKS WITH EXTERNAL KEYBOARD, such as our Colored-Rows BigKeys, or any Bluetooth keyboard (or *any* USB keyboard)! Or choose from the regular iOS keyboard, or Spell-A-Word's own 1-row-at-a-time one). Scaffolding (as much help as needed but as little as possible) is embedded so as to help those with significant cognitive challenges. This program is designed for you to easily enter lists of spelling words/phrases for the learner to practice and be tested on. WordLists consisting of hundreds of words/sounds/pictures are available from the developer's website at no charge. Spell-A-Word even has special feedback for blind learners.
Phonogram Sounds
This interactive app provides clear audio pronunciations for letter sounds and combinations, featuring all 72 basic phonograms from a popular language arts curriculum. It's designed to support reading and spelling development for learners of all ages.
- Hear correct pronunciation of sounds
- Clear enunciation of letters and combinations
- Includes all 72 basic phonograms
- Supports reading and spelling skills
- Interactive learning experience
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Touch a button and hear the correct pronunciation! *Check that your sound is turned on!* This interactive program features clear enunciation of the sounds of the letters and letter combinations (also known as phonograms). Contains all 72 of the basic phonograms as taught in the All About Reading and All About Spelling language arts curriculum. All About Reading is a multisensory, mastery-based program that starts with essential pre-reading skills and continues on to teach all five key components of reading. All About Spelling teaches encoding skills, spelling rules, and multisensory strategies to help your student become a proficient speller for life. Our lightly scripted “open and go” lesson plans and mastery-based approach leave no gaps and make this curriculum a favorite of homeschool families everywhere. Suitable for all ages and learning styles!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Phonogram Sounds at Free against Spell's $1.99. Phonogram Sounds also leads on ratings volume (84 vs 5) and device support (3 vs 1). Spell's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Phonogram Sounds is free to download; Spell costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Spell against 4.0 for Phonogram Sounds. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonogram Sounds has 84 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Spell's written reviews are positive against 70% of Phonogram Sounds's.
Spell ships an update every 4 months, Phonogram Sounds every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on June 2, 2026 and August 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spell | Phonogram Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (5 ratings) | 4.0 (84 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better | 69.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 84 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RJ Cooper & Associates, Inc. | All About Learning Press, Inc. |
Customer experience
Spell
Phonogram Sounds
In-app purchases
Spell
No in-app purchases
Phonogram Sounds
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Spell free?
Is Phonogram Sounds free?
Which has better reviews, Spell or Phonogram Sounds?
Do Spell or Phonogram Sounds have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spell or Phonogram Sounds?
Other comparisons
