Introduction

In today’s digital age, educational apps have become valuable tools for enhancing literacy skills among students of all ages. Whether you are a young learner or an adult looking to improve your reading and writing abilities, there are numerous literacy apps available to help you achieve your goals.

This blog post will explore the top 12 literacy apps in 2023 based on extensive research and user feedback. These apps offer engaging and effective ways to develop and strengthen literacy skills. Let’s dive in!

1. Endless Wordplay

In Endless Wordplay, kids construct words whose letters the alphabet has shaken out of place. Tap and hold letters to hear their sounds and arrange them correctly in the word; Tap the question mark for hints. Each level includes three rhyming words; after spelling them, watch a short animation that acts out a sentence using the words in context.
Grades: Pre-K–K; Price: $14.99

2. Hooked on Phonics

Hooked on Phonics consists of 12 phases, each teaching rimes and letter sounds to assist children in building words. Videos with appealing music introduce letter sounds and sight words inside each stage, while activities help kids form words using onsets and rimes. Starting with step one, kids practice reading immediately, using the three ebooks corresponding to each level. Lessons include all letter sounds, plus the rimes -at, -an, -ap, -ad, -am, -ag, -ig, -id, -ig -ip, -im, -in, -ix, ill, -ot, -op, -ox, -ob, -og, -ug, -un, -ut, -up, -up, -ed, -en, -et, -e.g., and -ell.
Grades: Pre-K–1; Price: Free 7-day trial, $8.99/month

3. Lalilo

Lalilo is a web-based literacy app for K–2 teachers. It aims to provide comprehensive coverage of early literacy skills and personalized and differentiated instruction. As students progress, Lalilo leans on artificial intelligence to offer students targeted exercises and repeat things as necessary.
Grades: K–3; Price: Free, Paid

4. PebbleGo

PebbleGo is a kid-friendly, searchable database that covers various research topics and can be available in both English and Spanish. Five main modules — animals, science, biographies, social studies, and health — are divided into topics and subtopics.
Grades: K–3; Price: Free

5. Reading A-Z

Reading A-Z is a website that offers comprehensive implementation resources for differentiated offline reading instruction. Over a thousand texts spanning 29 reading levels and multiple genres and touching on various school subjects. Separate sections focus on items to enhance teaching core reading skills, vocabulary, grammar, or writing, in addition to the book collection.
Grades: K–5; Price: 14-day free trial, then $118/classroom/year

6. Flocabulary

Flocabulary is a website with hundreds of educational hip-hop videos and extra activities for kids in grades K-12. Flocabulary covers math, vocabulary, language arts, social studies, science, and SEL and offers a weekly news update, The Week in Rap, which is adjusted for age appropriateness.
Grades: K–12; Price: free 30-day trial, then $120/year

7. ReadWorks

ReadWorks is a free website offering research-based strategies and resources for differentiated reading instruction, specifically comprehension. The content-rich ReadWorks platform easily lends itself to differentiation and supports students’ development of vocabulary skills and background knowledge.
Grades: K–12; Price: Free

9. Quill

Quill is a website for interactive grammar and writing practice and development. It features hundreds of activities organized into five separate “tools” (Quill Diagnostic, Quill Lessons, Quill Connect, Quill Grammar, and Quill Proofreader).

Grades: 1-12; Price: Free

10. LightSail

LightSail (sometimes called Rosen-LightSail) is an e-reading literacy platform that helps teachers support their students’ independent reading. Students can use LightSail to check out texts from their schools’ digital library and read the books directly on their devices.

Grades: 1–12; Price: Free

11. ThinkCERCA

ThinkCERCA is a subscription-based online literacy program for kids in grades 3-12 that focuses on critical thinking and argumentative writing abilities. The CERCA acronym (Claims, Evidence, Reasoning, Counterarguments, Audience) stands for the site’s structured approach to critical thinking and argumentation. 

Grades: 3–12; Price: Contact for pricing

12. Duolingo

Duolingo is a popular language-learning app that helps users master reading and writing skills in various languages. It offers gamified lessons, interactive exercises, and personalized learning paths. Duolingo’s bite-sized lessons make language learning accessible and enjoyable for learners worldwide.

Grades: 6–12; Price: Free to try for seven days; after that, the subscription costs $6.99/month

🎁 Bonus 👌

Avokiddo ABC Ride

Avokiddo ABC Ride is a fun, creative way to explore letters. The graphics are wonderful, and the letter games inspire kids to listen to the alliterative directions (some are more successful “poems” than others) and problem-solve. A sufficient amount of exposure to each letter, the sound it makes, and the words that contain it are provided. 

Grades: Pre-K–2; Price: In-app purchases available