Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 vs Letter Tiles for Learning
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1
This app uses a scientifically validated phonics approach to improve spelling skills. It teaches fundamental spelling patterns, sounds, and rules through structured lessons and high-frequency words, aiming to build long-term literacy and confidence.
- 450+ high-frequency words
- 42 instructional phonics lessons
- Spelling pattern and difficulty organization
- Reverse phonics approach
- Contextual spelling rule hints
- Letter-by-letter feedback
- Starting assessment test
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Scientifically validated as a highly effective approach to improving spelling skills through our phonics approach. A published study revealed that students demonstrated an average spelling improvement of 1.9 grades among children in a classroom setting who regularly used Simplex Spelling over a 18 week period. The largest student improvement observed over the same time period was 4.4 grade levels as assessed by administering the Schonell Spelling Test. Linda Chmiliar, "Improving the Spelling Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities using Apps on the iPad", International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education, pp. 962-971. Special Issue Volume 3, 2016. Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 teaches a full year of spelling curriculum with over 450 high frequency words divided into 42 lists that are organized by spelling patterns and difficulty levels. Each of the 42 lists comes with a lesson that teaches one of the basic building blocks of spelling in the English language. These basic building blocks include the different phonograms, sounds, and spelling rules. Our spelling lists focus on some of the highest frequency words in the English language to help students establish a base foundation of literacy and confidence with spelling and reading. Students learn a new concept for each lesson building on the skills learned from previous lessons. Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 guides the student and acts as a personal spelling coach with every word, while teaching "how to spell" English words. Memorization may be sufficient to pass a spelling test, but it often does not transfer into good long term reading and spelling skills. Our goal with Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 is to not only teach a list of words, but to teach students “how to spell” these words, thus building long term skills that can be used for over 84% of the words in the English language that follow phonetic patterns. Many studies show that students who learn to read through phonics have a higher level of literacy than students who learn to read by using flash cards and the whole word approach. Also, that not all readers are good spellers, but almost all good spellers are also good readers. This is why Simplex Spelling's comprehensive unique phonics approach to spelling really works to create both better spellers and better readers. Note: Now supports both North American and British accents. Note: You can not create your own spelling lists. Features: - Over 450 high frequency words to help build literacy. - A starting assessment/placement test. - Review lists. - 42 instructional lessons teach phonics, phonograms, and spelling rules. - A full “reverse phonics” approach that includes sounds made by all the different letter combinations. - Contextually relevant spelling rule hints that help explain “how to spell” English words. - Letter by letter feedback system provides immediate feedback. - Guaranteed success on every word. - Support for 40 user accounts. - Export and email student progress reports. - Remembers each user’s progress in every list. - User stats screen to see mastered words and words that require further practice. - Supports both upper and lower case letters. - Supports both alphabetic and QWERTY keyboard layouts. - Supports US, UK and Canadian English spelling of words. - Featured previously by Apple in New & Noteworthy, What's Hot, Words for the Wise and Spelling & Grammar. - Honorable mention in the 2012 Best App Ever Awards - Best Special Needs App. - AppsforHomeschooling (5/5, Golden App Award, 2011 Readers Choice Award) - Academics' Choice Award - Parents' Choice Award Privacy Disclosure: - No 3rd party ads - Does not share any data - No In-App purchases - Contains child protected links in app to developer's website for additional information, support and teaching tips. - Contains child protected link to developer email support. COPPA Compliant https://pyxwise.com/privacy-policy/
Letter Tiles for Learning
Build words, divide them into syllables, and explore phonogram sounds. This educational tool supports specific reading and spelling programs, offering relevant letter tiles for each lesson. Ideal for interactive learning on tablets.
- Build words
- Divide words into syllables
- Hear phonogram sounds
- Supports All About Reading
- Supports All About Spelling
- Lesson-specific letter tiles
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This app is designed for tablets. It is not recommended for phones. Our Letter Tiles app lets you build words, divide words into syllables, and hear the sounds of the phonograms. Just choose your program from the menu (All About Reading or All About Spelling) and select which lesson number you are currently teaching. The appropriate letter tiles for that lesson will appear, making it easy for you to teach and easy for your child to learn. The app contains all the phonograms, suffixes, and word parts taught in the All About Reading and All About Spelling lesson plans. Suitable for all ages and learning styles! Please Note: This app does not read words aloud.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 at $4.99 against Letter Tiles for Learning's $19.99. Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 38%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.2). Letter Tiles for Learning's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and chart position (#26 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 costs $4.99 and Letter Tiles for Learning $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 93 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Simplex Spelling Phonics 1's written reviews are positive against 38% of Letter Tiles for Learning's.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 ships an update every 5 months, Letter Tiles for Learning every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 | Letter Tiles for Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (23 ratings) — better | 3.2 (93 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews — better | 37.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 23 | 93 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #26 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 191 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pyxwise Software Inc. | All About Learning Press, Inc. |
Customer experience
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1
Letter Tiles for Learning
Bugs and requests
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Letter Tiles for Learning
Reported bugs
50 issues- Drop-down menu not staying down
- Blank white screen
- App crashes constantly
- Tiles go missing when splitting syllables
- Spaces appear randomly in words
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- Replacing letters moves them to end
- Cannot drag tiles to top
- App crashes on opening after update
- App not working after update
- New version not compatible with curriculum
- Letters freeze up constantly
- Cannot clear tiles easily
- Tapping letters to appear on screen not working
- Sound stopped working
- Difficulty downloading app components
- Dragging syllable tags is difficult
- Cannot get syllable tags to move
- App orientation locked
- Cannot put two separate words on same line
- Cannot play 'change the word' activity
- Drop-down for picking lesson not working
- Hardly ever works, difficult to select level/lesson
- Stuck on white screen
- App freezes
- Can't see all letters on screen, cut off
- Let you switch out letters fluidly
- Word building area cut off by letter tiles
- Child cannot hold on a letter blend to hear sound
- Child cannot hold built word to see spelling
- Interface difficult to use
- Tiles don't always respond to touch
- Tiles go missing
- Clears for no reason
- Cannot find sounds, don't fit on screen
- Letters too large
- Constantly have to swipe to get to vowel teams
- Cannot drag them up there, have to fling
- App unusable for many activities
- App keeps closing itself
- Letters freeze up
- Cannot get any of it to work
- Too sensitive to clear tiles
- Tapping letters doesn't work
- Cannot divide syllables easily
- Cannot put divided syllables back together
- Difficult to slide screen to access syllable tags
- Cannot drag tiles on iPad
- Issues dragging tiles
- Cannot get tiles to respond
- Words popping up on screen within lessons
Requested features
14 requests- Undo feature
- Tile scramble mode
- Apple Pencil/stylus support
- Card quiz feature
- Option to adjust tile size
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- Ability to write on whiteboard
- Sound out words in lessons
- Add end mark punctuation
- Add 'q' tile for advanced learners
- Fix /r/ and /er/ sound issue
- Add 'are you sure?' for deleting tiles
- Allow multiple words on one line
- Fix first line bug
- Allow user to adjust keyboard area size
In-app purchases
Simplex Spelling Phonics 1
No in-app purchases
Letter Tiles for Learning
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 free?
Is Letter Tiles for Learning free?
Which has better reviews, Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 or Letter Tiles for Learning?
Do Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 or Letter Tiles for Learning have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 or Letter Tiles for Learning?
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