First Words Phonics Pro vs Wonster Words Learning Games
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Words Phonics Pro
This educational app teaches children reading and spelling through synthetic phonics. It offers two learning levels and various hint options to customize difficulty, making learning engaging with colorful visuals and sound effects.
- Synthetic phonics learning levels
- Learn words and spelling
- Letter recognition and matching
- Interactive exploration interface
- Child-friendly user interface
- Engaging artwork and sound effects
- 121 words in 5 categories
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"First Words for Kids" includes all 121 words across Animals, Vehicles, Shapes and Colours, Household Items and Numbers. Everything is included with no in-app purchases needed. Three hint settings (colour hints, letter hints, and combined hints) together with five difficulty settings let you fine-tune the challenge as your child grows. The thumbnail navigation lets children explore all words freely, with no time pressure and no countdowns. Used by parents and educators. Featured by Apple on the US App Store in Games/Educational and Games/Kids. ________________________________ SYNTHETIC PHONICS "First Words for Kids" uses synthetic phonics to help children learn to read by linking each letter and letter combination to its sound, then showing how those sounds blend into full words. This is the evidence-based approach recommended by national literacy frameworks in the UK, the US and Australia. Two phonics levels are included: Synthetic Phonics Basic: introduces blending using simple, single-sound phonemes. Designed for children who are just starting out. Synthetic Phonics Advanced: introduces graphemes (letter groups that represent one sound), digraphs (two letters that together make a new sound), and letters with more than one sound. For children ready for a bigger challenge. The app was designed with children who have autism and speech delay in mind. No timers. No pressure. A clean interface that moves at the child's pace. ________________________________ THE MISSION ReadnLearn exists because of Marios. Aris's son has autism and speech delay. Every design decision in every ReadnLearn app comes from watching Marios learn. What works for him works for every child who learns differently. readnlearn.com/the-mission-autism-educational-tools/ ________________________________ FEATURES ● All 121 words across 5 categories, fully included ● Letter sounds through two levels of synthetic phonics, plus letter names ● Learn words and how to spell them ● Recognise upper and lowercase letters and match them to words ● Three hint settings to control how much support the child receives ● Six difficulty settings that grow with the child ● Thumbnail navigation so children can explore all words freely ● Tap any image to hear its sound and name ● Interface designed for small fingers ● Colourful artwork with animations and sound effects ● Studio recordings of all letters, words and spelling ● No timers. No pressure. No ads. No in-app purchases. ● Flight Mode reminder for uninterrupted offline use ________________________________ KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE We follow the Know What's Inside best practices for children's apps, set by Moms with Apps. ________________________________ DISCLOSURE At ReadnLearn, children's privacy and safety come first: ◇ Does not collect or share personally identifiable information ◇ No social network links or social features ◇ No ads ◇ No in-app purchases ◇ Feedback and Tell a Friend buttons are behind a parental gate ◇ More Games button and page are behind a parental gate Privacy policy: readnlearn.com/kids-learning-apps/privacy/ Support: readnlearn.com/kids-learning-apps/#support ________________________________ IF THIS APP HELPED YOUR CHILD Leaving an honest review helps other families with autism, speech delay and learning differences find this app. And if there is something you want added or changed, tell us. Every piece of feedback shapes the next update. app-feedback@readnlearn.com ________________________________ ABOUT ReadnLearn ReadnLearn was founded by Aris Karavias, a children's illustrator and educational app developer with 27 years of experience and 25 published educational apps. His son Marios has autism and speech delay. Every design decision in every app comes from watching Marios learn. The apps have been downloaded over a million times across six languages. Questions or feedback: app-feedback@readnlearn.com Support: app-support@readnlearn.com readnlearn.com
Wonster Words Learning Games
This educational app uses interactive games and puzzles to teach children foundational literacy skills. It focuses on phonics, letter-sound relationships, and spelling patterns through a fun, play-based approach rooted in reading science.
- Phonics-based learning
- Interactive puzzles and mini-games
- Letter-sound relationship practice
- Customizable word lists
- Spelling pattern lessons
- Supports speech development
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Wonster Words is an award-winning reading game to help kids build strong foundational literacy skills. Rooted in the science of reading, Wonster Words teaches phonics, phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, letter recognition, and spelling patterns through interactive puzzles, fun mini-games, and silly animations. 95% of parents say Wonster Words has helped their children learn to read! Join millions of families and download Wonster Words today! _______________________ A FUN, PLAY-BASED APPROACH TO LEARNING Children learn best when they’re having fun! Wonster Words combines interactive phonics puzzles with engaging animations to make reading feel like play. Kids explore words by dragging letters into place, hearing their letter names and sounds, and watching hilarious animated shorts that bring vocabulary to life. • "As a 1st grade teacher with a kindergartener [son] I know how important it is to keep learning interesting. This is my son's favorite app and mine too." • "I downloaded this game for my 2 yr old daughter and she is always running off with my phone to learn some new words." _______________________ BASED ON THE SCIENCE OF READING Wonster Words is built around phonics-based learning, research-backed principles that support early reading success. Kids go beyond basic ABCs and phonics—they learn how letters form blends, digraphs, word families, diphthongs, and CVC words, all key building blocks for fluency. • "This app really helps reinforce the phonics principles and sight words we go over daily. I love that my children are eager to learn and have fun doing it." • "[My 5 year old] has been using Wonster Words each night and has started to spell on his own. We are sounding out words together. He looks forward to playing the games and even reminds me of his practice time. _______________________ CUSTOM WORD LISTS & SPELLING LESSONS Every child learns differently, and now you can personalize their learning experience! With our Custom Word List feature, parents and teachers can enter their own words, and Wonster Words will automatically generate phonics-based spelling lessons tailored to those words. • "I love this for my child’s spelling words. I am able to add our own words for her to practice and she enjoys the games." • "Wonster words spelling has been a big help for my 3rd grader prepping for weekly spelling tests at school." _______________________ SUPPORTS SPEECH & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT For children with speech delays or language difficulties, Wonster Words provides a fun and effective way to practice articulation, phonological awareness, and vocabulary building. It’s an excellent supplement for speech therapy and a motivator for kids working on communication skills. • "My three year old was slow to articulate many words. Speech therapy was helpful but he seemed bored with the simplistic repetitions. Got this game to work with him at home... He's four now and still loves this app. Non-stop chatterbox with a huge vocabulary." • "I am a retired Speech-language Pathologist and I provide training for preschools. I love this app for vocabulary building, early reading and spelling." _______________________ FITS YOUR NEEDS Wonster Words supports offline play when traveling. It is safe for kids and ad-free. Its subscription can be canceled anytime without fees. _______________________ AWARDS ◆ Parent's Choice ◆ Dr. Toy's Best Picks ◆ Kidscreen iKids Finalist ◆ Mom's Choice Gold ◆ Academic's Choice _______________________ TERMS & PRIVACY Wonster Words is safe, ad-free, and a subscription service. You can cancel anytime without fees. • Terms of Use: https://www.wonsterwords.com/terms-of-service • Privacy Policy: https://www.wonsterwords.com/privacy-policy _______________________ CONTACT US If you run into issues, please email us at support@77sparx.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Wonster Words Learning Games at Free against First Words Phonics Pro's $4.99. Wonster Words Learning Games also leads on ratings volume (32K vs 22) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). First Words Phonics Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On 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
Wonster Words Learning Games is free to download; First Words Phonics Pro costs $4.99 up front. Wonster Words Learning Games sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. First Words Phonics Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
Wonster Words Learning Games holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wonster Words Learning Games has 32K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of First Words Phonics Pro's written reviews are positive against 82% of Wonster Words Learning Games's.
First Words Phonics Pro ships an update every 2 months, Wonster Words Learning Games every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Words Phonics Pro | Wonster Words Learning Games |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (22 ratings) | 4.6 (32K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 81.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 32K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 222 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Read 'n' Learn | 77Sparx Studio, Inc. |
Customer experience
First Words Phonics Pro
Wonster Words Learning Games
Bugs and requests
First Words Phonics Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Wonster Words Learning Games
Reported bugs
4 issues- Sound issues and muted audio
- Inconsistencies in game mechanics
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Unexpected charges and billing problems
Requested features
5 requests- Option to create custom word lists
- More language and accent options
- Ability to use the app on multiple devices
- Improved user interface and navigation
- Additional educational content and levels
In-app purchases
First Words Phonics Pro
No in-app purchases
Wonster Words Learning Games
- Wonster Words All-Access3 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Wonster Words All-Access$3.997 Days
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
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- Wonster Words Access Subscription$7.991 Year
- Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly All Access Pass7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Wonster Words All-Access$9.991 Month
- Wonster Words All-Access14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$10.991 Month
- Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$12.991 Month
- Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$49.996 Months
- Yearly Access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- 7-Day Free Trial with $69.99/year7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- All Access Pass$14.99
Questions
Is First Words Phonics Pro free?
Is Wonster Words Learning Games free?
Which has better reviews, First Words Phonics Pro or Wonster Words Learning Games?
Do First Words Phonics Pro or Wonster Words Learning Games have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Words Phonics Pro or Wonster Words Learning Games?
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