Settings and the parent guide live behind this button, kept out of reach of small fingers. Press and hold for three seconds to open them.
Back to the wordsHow the app works and what each setting does. Every settings hint links to the section that explains it, so you can dip in anywhere.
Each word is shown for a set number of seconds before the next appears. The slider in Settings goes from 2 to 15 seconds, and the default is 5.
A benchmark sometimes used in sight word practice is that naming a word within about 3 seconds suggests the word is being recognized rather than sounded out. Longer times give a new word room to be studied; shorter times suit words that are already familiar.
The prev and next buttons work at any time, so a word can always be given more or less time than the slider says.
The app sets no session length and keeps no streaks, points, or rewards for playing longer. It is designed so that stopping at any moment loses nothing.
An optional break suggestion (on by default) pauses play after a set number of minutes and asks, with no pressure either way. Both the number of minutes (2 to 20, default 5) and the suggestion itself can be changed in Settings.
Guidance on session length for a specific child is a question for their teacher; common practice with young children favors short, regular sessions over long, occasional ones.
Sight words are common English words that appear constantly in early readers, such as the, and, said, and where. Many of them do not follow regular phonics patterns, so they are often practiced for instant recognition instead of being sounded out.
The lists in this app are the Dolch lists, a widely used set compiled in the 1930s and 40s from words appearing most frequently in children's books. Published estimates of their coverage of typical early-reader text generally range from about 50 to 80 percent.
Signs often taken as readiness to start include recognizing their own name in print, noticing letters on signs, and asking what written words say. If practice is not landing yet, waiting and trying again later costs nothing.
Printed materials draw letters differently. The a in many storybooks has two stories, while the a children are usually taught to write has one. The same word can look noticeably different from one style to the other.
The Both letter style shows every word twice per deck: once in Andika, a sans-serif designed for beginning readers with simple single-story letterforms, and once in Literata, a book-style serif. The intent is exposure to the same word in both letterform styles. The other options (Sans, Serif, Reading support) each show every word once, in that one style.
Some fonts are marketed as designed for dyslexia. In controlled studies to date, these fonts have not been shown to improve reading speed or accuracy, so this app does not include one. Study results have been more favorable for simpler layout measures such as letter spacing and text size.
What the app provides:
Changing one option at a time makes it easier to tell what a particular child responds to.
Questions about how a child's reading is developing are for their teacher or a reading specialist; this app does not assess or diagnose anything.
The lists follow the standard Dolch grade bands. The names describe the source lists, not a requirement; any list can be used at any age.
One common approach to moving up: when most of the current list is named quickly (within a few seconds per word) on several different days, try the next list, and return to a review mix whenever a list feels heavy.