Phonogram Sounds vs Sound Boxes for Word Study
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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!
Sound Boxes for Word Study
This educational app helps children develop foundational literacy skills by teaching them how letters and sounds combine to form words. It uses sound boxes to aid in segmenting word sounds, supporting both reading and writing development.
- Letter-sound association
- Word segmentation
- Supports reading skills
- Supports writing skills
- Foundational literacy development
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Children must develop the fundamental understanding that letters and sounds work together in systematic ways to form words. This understanding provides the foundation for the development of decoding skills. Word work is an essential component of literacy development. Utilizing sound boxes can help children segment sounds in words, which supports reading and writing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Phonogram Sounds at 4.0 against Sound Boxes for Word Study's 3.1. Phonogram Sounds also leads on ratings volume (84 vs 7) and review sentiment (70% vs 60%). Sound Boxes for Word Study's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Phonogram Sounds holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonogram Sounds has 84 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Phonogram Sounds's written reviews are positive against 60% of Sound Boxes for Word Study's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phonogram Sounds | Sound Boxes for Word Study |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (84 ratings) — better | 3.1 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 84 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | All About Learning Press, Inc. | Classroom Focused Software |
Customer experience
Phonogram Sounds
Sound Boxes for Word Study
Bugs and requests
Phonogram Sounds
Reported bugs
7 issues- R says /er/ instead of /r/
- Sound not working
- App crashes
- No sound when tapping phonograms
- Sound only works with ringer on
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- List of phonograms cut off on iPad
- App is stick, no audio, no movement
Requested features
9 requests- Videos showing lip/tongue placement
- Interactive game app
- App for building words/movable tiles
- Level-based sound availability
- Enlarging tapped tile
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Adding missing phonograms (Level 6, Spalding)
- Adding more sounds for /i/, /e/, /x/, /ou/, /ei/, /oe/, /wor/, /ear/
- Spelling lists for review
- All About Reading app with word reading
Sound Boxes for Word Study
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Phonogram Sounds
No in-app purchases
Sound Boxes for Word Study
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phonogram Sounds free?
Is Sound Boxes for Word Study free?
Which has better reviews, Phonogram Sounds or Sound Boxes for Word Study?
Do Phonogram Sounds or Sound Boxes for Word Study have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phonogram Sounds or Sound Boxes for Word Study?
Other comparisons
