Word Critters: Read & Catch
Phonics & sight words, 4-8
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Five minutes of reading a day. Every word your child reads powers up a team of pixel critters. Add your own school word lists, or use ours for every year.
Word Critters is five-minute reading practice for a child and a grown-up, together.
One big word appears at a time. Your child reads it out loud, and you tap Got it!
when they've got it. Every word read powers up a team of pixel critters, and finishing
a list catches the wild critter that turned up to listen. Each catch goes into a biscuit tin.
Catch 87 cheeky animal critters, from Bin Fox and Pearly Pigeon to Thames Eel and
Bollard Crab. Build a team of six, level them up as your child reads, and watch them
evolve.
Boss battles unlock as reading adds up, from a canal-lock toad to the Tower ravens.
In a battle, every word read powers the whole team. Use the team special when it's charged,
or heal a critter that's run low. Beaten bosses can be challenged again to earn up to three stars.
Made for early readers and the grown-ups helping them
- Word lists for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3+, in the usual teaching order,
including Year 1 phonics screening check practice
- A short "Starter words" list for each year, so the first go takes just a couple of minutes
- Add your school's words: paste in this week's spelling list (or snap a photo and ask
an AI app to list the words, then paste) and practise exactly those
- One big, clear word at a time, in a friendly rounded font
- Tap to hear any word read aloud
- Read by voice (optional): voice recognition on the phone hears your child read the
word and moves on by itself, showing you what it heard. Nothing it hears leaves the device
- "Park" a tricky word and practise it again at the end
- Short tips show you how everything works the first time
- Light and dark themes; works on phones and tablets
Parent-led and private by design
No accounts, no ads, no tracking, and no data collected. Read by voice is off until you turn
it on, and its voice recognition never leaves the device.
Everything stays on your device. Settings and links sit behind a grown-ups-only question.
Ratings & Reviews
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The developer, David shiu chun Lau, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- David shiu chun Lau
- Size
- 73 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.1 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 15.1 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.1 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Made for Ages 0–5
- Copyright
- © 2026 Word Critters