Sound Anchor: phonics blending for ages 4 to 6

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How does a practice work?

Tap Start blending. Each letter tile says its sound; Blend the sounds plays them joined into the word; then your child taps the picture that matches. Every word ends at a checkpoint, and the ladder finishes after 5 to 10 words.

We had to stop halfway. Is progress lost?

No. Close the app whenever you like. It reopens on the exact word you were on.

My child picked the wrong picture. What happens?

Nothing bad. The sounds play again and they try again. There are no timers, lives, scores that go down, or sad faces.

How do I switch between the UK and US voice?

Tap the person icon on the Home screen, answer the grown-ups-only sum, then Settings. The choice applies to every sound and word straight away.

The app is silent.

Check the ring/silent switch and the volume. Sound Anchor plays even with the silent switch on, but the volume must be up. If another app is using audio, close it and try again.

How do I change how many words are in a ladder?

Parent area → Settings → Words per ladder (3 to 10).

What are word families?

Your child hears the family sound, like "at", then blends a new first sound onto it: c-at, b-at, h-at. There are twelve families (at, an, ap, ad, ig, ip, it, en, ot, op, ug, ill) and 65 words, all using only the free Phase 2 sounds. The -at family is free; the other eleven come with the Word Families pack.

What are alien words?

Made-up words such as nom, chib and brop. Because there is nothing to recognise or guess, a child can only read them by blending the sounds, which is the skill children are asked to show with made-up words in Year 1 phonics checks. Your child hears the sounds, then picks the alien whose name matches the word. Six aliens are free. The Alien Words pack adds 104 in four levels; the levels that use Phase 3, 4 and 5 sounds only appear once your child has reached that phase and you own that phase pack.

Is there a bundle?

Yes. The All Packs bundle unlocks the Phase 3, 4 and 5 packs, Word Families and Alien Words in one payment. It is shown in the parent area while no other pack has been bought. One payment, no subscription.

What is included free?

All of Phase 2: the first 23 letter-sounds and 95 words. It is complete and never locked.

What does the Phase 3 pack add?

The next 26 letter-sounds (j v w x, y z zz qu, sh ch th ng, ai ee igh oa oo, ar or ur ow oi, ear air ure er) and 124 more words. One payment, no subscription, family sharing on.

What do the Phase 4 and Phase 5 packs add?

Phase 4 adds 46 longer words with consonants side by side (f-l-a-g, t-e-n-t, s-t-r-ee-t) using the sounds already taught. Phase 5 adds 13 new ways to spell sounds your child already knows (ay ou ie ea, oy ir ue aw, wh ph ew oe au) and 127 more words. Each is one payment, no subscription.

Do I have to buy the packs in order?

No. Buy any pack whenever you like. The words always arrive in the teaching order, so a pack bought early waits until the phase before it is finished, and Home says when it will start.

I bought it on another device or reinstalled.

Parent area → Settings → Restore purchase. Make sure the device is signed in with the same Apple ID.

Refunds

Purchases are handled by Apple. Request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Which teaching order does it follow?

The publicly documented Letters and Sounds phase order used across UK schools. Sound Anchor is independent and is not affiliated with the Department for Education, the Year 1 phonics screening check, or any commercial phonics scheme.

Does it teach reading, sight words or comprehension?

No, on purpose. It teaches blending, precisely and well, and nothing else.

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