Best Touch Typing App Mac

  

Inspired by Atari’s classic game, Space Invaders, kids will target little pixel aliens.

A review of 7 of the best typing tutors for Mac and Windows

Touch typing skills are very useful when it comes to improving job chances, writing, brainstorming ideas or communicating with friends.

To increase typing speed a professional training course is a good idea which can be a seminar or comprehensive typing tutor. We review 7 of the best typing software.

Best Typing Software 2020 – Most Popular

Go To Website
$29.95
Video Tutorials
Windows, Mac
★★★★★Go To Website
$/£29.99
A-Z in 90 Minutes
Windows, Mac
★★★★★Go To Website
$29.99
Adventure Lessons
Windows, Mac
★★★★☆Product Info
$39.95
Adult Teaching
Windows, Mac
Best mac os apps★★★★☆

Updated: Typing Software 2020/10

All typing software reviewed in this post are suitable to learn to type faster. They offer basic and advanced typing classes. However, they differ in price, features or different approaches such as video tutorials or the ability to upload and design own classes.

1. Typesy

Typesy (visit website) is touch typing software for Mac, Windows, Chrome and Linux and matches all learning levels and ages. Some of the best features include video tutorials, creating own lessons, importing training material, group learning, multiple user accounts and cloud services.

Students often review it as a typing tutor that is very intuitive to use. This is mainly due to Typesy backing on strong scientific research that resulted in specifically designed exercises and 7 strategic typing techniques.

This effective eLearning system is already known from other eReflect programs, which is the company behind this tutor. Apart from videos, these methods include expert-created classes, adaptive learning techniques, exercising with family, using own material for practicing, multilevel games and progress tracking.

Benefits
  • Easy to use
  • Video tutorials
  • Expert lessons
  • Create own lessons
  • Advanced progress tracking
  • All levels, all ages
  • Affordable price
  • Homeschool edition available
  • 5 users, unlimited installs
  • Automatic updates for 3 years
General Info
  • Price: $29.95
  • Certificates: Yes
  • Rating: 5/5 ★★★★★

Good to Know

  • Track indicators require familiarization
  • online access required

Who for? – Typesy Typing Software fits beginners and intermediates. You can start from scratch or run an advanced typing class to boost speed and accuracy. eReflect claims that students will learn to type faster with just 7 minutes of training per day.

Classes – A beginner class consists of video snippets to first grasp the training idea and secondly to try your skills with one of the built-in typing exercises. It all starts with the left-hand ASDF exercise and moves on to include the right-hand JKL; keys.

Easy Learning – Games help to keep motivation and to learn intuitively. For advanced users, the software offers a bunch of speed typing classes to improve finger movements or the option to upload articles and create own classes with imported material.

Homeschooling – The homeschool license (visit website) allows parents to team up and organize and monitor students and their children’s progress through the same school admin interface as that of the EDU version.

Note: Even the best typing software does not replace exercising: Practicing is the key to success and to increase speed in the long run.

Features

  • 7 learning methods, adaptive learning technology
  • Video instructions and built-in training units
  • Expert-created lessons and activities for all levels
  • 517 lessons and online activities
  • Fun typing games, activities and group learning
  • Choose goals, track progress, customize learning styles
  • Use web articles for best typing drill units
  • Create or import typing lessons
  • Track your progress. Triple speed guarantee
  • 5 user accounts. Unlimited installs on Mac, Chrome, Windows, Linux
  • Access tutor from everywhere. Cloud storage.

Modern Interface – The UI consists of a horizontal bar for settings and performance tracks and vertical navigation for courses and exercises. Typing courses include Beginners Classes and Advanced Courses for accuracy or speed building training.

Verdict – Due to its intuitive approach, video tutorials and expert lessons, Typesy easily makes it onto our list of the best typing software tutors. It’s suitable for all wanting to increase speed quickly and also for those who need to improve accuracy. Recommended for the family thanks to its multi-user account feature.

Price: $29.95. Visit website.

2. KAZ Typing Tutor – Home Edition

KAZ Typing (Keyboard A to Z) (visit website) is a popular typing software tutor in the US, UK and Canada and promises you that you will learn to touch type within just 90 minutes. The Home Edition is available in three different versions; Junior, Adult and Family, making it suitable for professionals, adults, students and children alike. There is also a dyslexia version for students with special learning needs.

About – KAZ takes a multi-sensory approach to typing and is based upon the latest research into accelerated learning methods using brain balance and muscle memory. You will, therefore, learn faster and more effectively too. The designers have also steered away from boring and repetitive typing exercises and seemingly pointless tests.

The course – The software course is very well structured and consists of five modules. After the third module, you will have mastered the A – Z keys. The fourth module covers all the other keys and the final module presents you with innovative challenges aimed at increasing your speed and accuracy.

Dyslexia tips – There are also numerous tips and additional media and information that can help those with special needs, even dyslexia sufferers. If you like to challenge yourself you will like the fact that a full history of your speed and accuracy is kept. Audio tuition with both the USA and UK accents is available.

Benefits
  • Accelerated learning methods
  • Multi-sensory learning
  • Learn keyboard A-Z in 90 Minutes
  • User guides: video, PDFs
  • US and UK keyboard options
  • 5 Course modules
  • From age 6 to 99
  • Adult, Junior, Family editions
  • Dyslexia edition available
  • CPD Business version
  • Mac, Windows, Mobile friendly
General Info
  • Price: from $/£24.99 (view here)
  • Rating: 5/5 ★★★★★
  • City & Guilds certification available
  • Bett Awards finalist 2019

Good to Know

  • Adult license 1 user
  • Family edition 5 users
  • Desktop edition locked to computer
  • Online license valid 1 year

Other Features – There are other highlights worth to mention such as retraining your fingers to eliminate bad typing habits, multi-sensory settings (sound, text, audio description), speed and accuracy training and tracking and most importantly UK and US-based keyboards with different accents and vocabulary,

Editions – The Adult Online edition is the most affordable license to get started with KAZ typing software and valid for one year. The desktop Mac/Windows version is valid for 10 years, however, it is locked to the workstation KAZ is installed on. The Family Edition is available as an online (browser) or desktop version and includes five separate user accounts. It is suitable to set up homeschooling classes.

Verdict – KAZ Typing has been a Bett Awards finalist and is most certainly one of the best typing software these days. It is easy to use and more than a million satisfied users worldwide must tell you something. It’s suitable for schools, businesses, organizations and individuals alike thanks to their customized editions.

Pricing: from $/£24.99. Visit website.
Versions: $/£24.99 Adult Online | $/£39.99 Desktop | $/£74.99 Family Online (5 users)

3. Typing Instructor Platinum 21

According to the NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, Typing Instructor Platinum by Individual Software (view product website) has been one of the best-selling typing software.

Thanks to its adventure focused approach, the program is a well-established tutor for beginners, intermediates or advanced typists running on both Windows and Mac. Suitable for children, students and adults.

Exercises – While speed exercises and accuracy lessons will benefit the more advanced typist, the focus on keyboards, numbers and symbols will suit the beginner.

Games – Typing games are a popular way to intuitively increase speed, but also to understand the concept of the home, bottom, and top row. Last but not least, a warm-up intro will guide the typist through the most important concepts of speed typing.

Travel scheme – A very interesting and fun feature is the option to experience travel adventures. As a student, you will leave the typical classroom behind and get on a thematic adventure.

This way you will intuitively learn to type be it on a trip around the world, on a photo safari or traveling through time. Typists start from the Travel Port and make their way through several time zones around the globe.

Free

It’s all about visiting interesting places, winning game challenges, posting high game scores or collecting time stamps, visas or photos for your virtual passport.

Benefits
  • Mac & Windows Support
  • Travel and adventure lessons
  • Easy to use
  • Create Own Lessons
  • All levels, all ages
  • Cheap price
General Info
  • Price: $29.95
  • Certificates: Yes
  • Rating: 5/5 ★★★★☆

Good to Know

  • Limited warm-up exercises
  • No video tutorials

Practice – Those focusing on practicing, there are also around 20 lessons, 20 tests and 30 games and more than 250 practice sessions and article exercises. The latter can be created individually.

Similar to Typesy Typing, the Platinum version also allows downloading extra material to be used with the Typing Instructor Software. The kicker is the option to add music to your own typing plan.

Tracking – Whether you learn to type by playing games, practice through exercises or follow a self-structured plan, this typing software will assess and track your pace and check your progress constantly. See your words per minute at any time, but also explore which of your hands is faster in typing. This way you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and see where to train with higher priority.

Features

  • Travel adventures to learn typing playfully
  • Multi-Play, Multi-Level Games Set
  • 20+ Typing Plans
  • 100+ Professional Lessons & Tests
  • Progress Reports and Monitoring
  • Dynamic Learning Approach
  • Create individual learning plans
  • Access material on various subjects (sports, entertainment, medicine)
  • Comprehensive help and support package via phone, web and FAQ

Verdict. All in all, Typing Instructor Platinum is a comprehensive typing program for all ages and levels. On the pro side, you will find an intuitive approach, a well-designed interface or motivating travel adventures offering lots of fun.

Though there are some intros, the warm-up section is a bit thin and there are no video tutorials as found in Typesy typing software. Go for Typing Instructor Platinum if you like the travel-learning concept, but can skip the video learning approach.

Apart from the Platinum edition, the Typing Instructor platform also comes as Typing Instructor Deluxe or Business. Licenses are also available for schools and non-government organizations.

Benefits of professional typing software
We usually require good typing skills for office work, writing, software programming, captioning, medical transcriptions, data entry and processing, customer service or secretary duties.

We may also communicate faster in social media, increase our salary or avoid health issues such as bad posture or inflammation. The best typing software 2020 should teach/deliver/share these skills, benefits and tips.

Price: $29.95.

4. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Mavis Beacon has been successfully teaching typing techniques for more than 25 years. The same-named software edition is also one best typing software tutors available and targets adults wanting an individual or personal approach to software learning.

This typing software for Mac and Windows is easy to use and offers all features and strategies to achieve improvements within two weeks’ time.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing benefits those wanting a strict step by step guide to increase typing pace, accuracy or to improve 10-key skills.

Students start as beginners and level-up through 44 lessons, 430 exercises, assessments, customized lessons as well as 16 multi-level arcade-style games.

Benefits
  • Expert lessons
  • Individual Lessons
  • Assessments and Tests
  • Create Own Lessons
  • Games
  • Mac OS ready
General Info
  • Price: $39.95
  • Certificates: Yes
  • Rating: 4/5 ★★★★☆

Good to Know

  • no phone support
  • no video tutorials

Leveling up – Learners, however, need to pay attention to detail when completing lessons and exercises as the typing software only allows them to level-up after finishing them successfully. You will simply be asked to repeat the lesson until you gain enough accuracy and speed.

Tests – The 14 Tests, therefore, play an important role here, but interestingly reveal a new progress every time you reach the next, higher level. Before you start, Mavis Beacon will assess your current level and customize lessons to your needs.

One important feature is customized lessons. This feature module lets you determine speed and accuracy goals for your own lessons and offers the option to train with own word.doc material.

Features

  • 430 lessons, exercises and tests
  • 16 Arcade-style games, multi-level gaming
  • Tracking and progress reporting
  • Import MP3 files and type to own music
  • New Certificates of Completion
  • Windows and Mac OS X ready

Platinum Exclusives!

  • Unique Custom Lesson Designer
  • Practice Sessions in English, Spanish and French
  • New multi-level arcade-style games
  • Import text as Word.doc formats
  • Choose to type from hundreds of interesting articles and stories

Mavis Beacon offers four tracking reports to evaluate progress: Keyboard Proficiencies, Curriculum Map, Progress Over Time and Summary. The software also supports different keyboard types such as standard, split and 10-key layouts.

Verdict. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is best-rated typing software due to its versatile features and learning approaches. The benefit is its focus on gaining specific skills before leveling-up. This way students can be sure to trust their improved typing skills.

Another Pro is the creation of individual lessons. Downsides are missing video tutorials or individual customer supports via phone.

Price: from $39.95.

5. Ultrakey Typing Software

Ultrakey is the latest edition from the popular Ultrakey Typing software series. Being in the business for more than 30 years, Bytes of Learning has developed its tutor to one of the best typing software solutions available.

Ultrakey suits individuals, families, children, professionals, technologists, and can be used for student, adult, university and corporate training. There are two main versions available: Online and Desktop Cloud.

Ultrakey Online is available for individual learners, schools and institutions. It allows hassle-free access through all browsers and computer systems. Users can access videos, games, exercises, tests and progress tracking with a single or family license.

Features

Updates – Ultrakey 6 will bring you free feature updates over the next five years. Compared to other typing tutors in our review, the price might be higher, but its built-in future upgrades payback in the long run.

Resolution – Ultrakey is all about graphics and fitting high-resolution screens. Over 10,000 new elements have been added, whereas photo-realistic presentations and sharpened text elements are certainly one of the highlights here.

Tutorials – Very helpful are colored keyboard elements showing you which fingers serve which keys. Another great feature is virtual reality demonstrations. Similar to Typesy, Ultrakey also uses video tutorials to teach basic typing techniques. There are six instructional videos in total, which however is much less than UT is offering.

Mobile – The typing software supports all mobile platforms and gadgets.

Verdict. UltraKey typing software is easy to use and thanks to its features one of the best typing tutors available. A user-friendly interface, comprehensive exercises and demos, as well as good support and future upgrades, are the pros. The downsides are no options to playfully learn to type through games or to create their own lessons.

It suits Mac and Windows computers. The desktop typing software allows installment on up to 3 computers and 8 users. It’s localized for keyboard layouts in North America, the UK and Australia. Bytes of Learning offers technical support.

Price: Online from 24.95 (1 user) | Desktop Cloud from $39.95.
Note: Ultrakey is no longer available.

6. GS Typing Tutor Software

This deceptively simple typing tutor software will have you memorizing the keyboard within a few days.

It is best for learning to touch-type in the first place, but it is also very suitable for more experienced people that just want to increase their typing speed and accuracy.

Features include:

  • A comprehensive history of your progress that allows you to review lessons already completed and your performance after each lesson.
  • One unique feature is that you can opt to learn one-handed typing (left or right hand). This can be extremely handy for people with disabilities.
  • Short lessons mean that you can progress at your own pace. In addition, GS Typing Tutor also covers more advanced aspects of touch typing, such as the use of the numeric keyboard and special characters.
  • The developers have gone to some lengths to make the tuition interesting and full of fun. There are five games designed to improve your speed and accuracy and there are also numerous rated exercises for you to complete.
  • The on-screen keyboard is great in helping you to avoid looking down at your hands.

GS Typing Tutor is feature-rich and is widely used by schools and libraries. It is certainly worth a try if the above typing software isn’t any of your choices or/and you don’t mind a slightly outdated looking interface.

Price: from $29.95.

7. Rapid Typing Software

The Rapid Typing Tutor is free typing software you can download from the developer’s website and suited for individual but also corporate use. There is no registration required and it is suitable for offline use. However, the last update is from August 2016 showing signs of an outdated interface and abandoned development of new features.

In general, Rapid Typing is a keyboard trainer offering lessons that will teach you specified keyboard groups in blocks. It offers a virtual keyboard and visually highlights the keys students need to press during exercises. This tutor is designed for beginners and intermediates and runs best on Windows systems but it can work on Linux and Mac OS when using Wine or the Parallel emulator.

Features – The lesson editor allows you to create and edit your own lessons, and group them into courses. This will also allow teachers to offer a basic typing course for their students as it can be installed on a local server. Students will be able to evaluate their results but it is also possible to track the performance of your kids through simple charts and result tables.

Online Games – Rapid Typing offers online games to practice typing skills. These are not included in the tutor itself so you will need to visit the website in order to play them. Fast Typer 2 will focus on speed, Snow Typer will challenge you on speed and Albarns Attacks will further train your keyboard skills. Many games are designed for children rather than adults; spelling games are available.

Verdict – An easy to use touch typing software with a simple interface and basic features. Graphics may look a bit outdated though. There are no videos or drill tests available, however, free games may compensate for it.

Best Typing Software Tutors – The Verdict

All seven online typing tutors have the ability to teach you how to type faster. They all back on expert-created lessons, offer 10-key lessons and come with the guarantee to see results within weeks.

To decide which one fits best for your needs is a question of whether you prefer video tutorials, multi-user accounts, creating own lessons, playing games, phone support or the availability/type of drill exercises and progress tracking.

Recommendations

Typesy Typing Software (view product website) is certainly the best tutor if you prefer a strong visual learning experience. It also offers excellent individual learning features with the option to create lessons, play games or download material.

Kaz Typing (visit website) is a typing tutor that is popular due to its 90-minute A to Z keyboard training (KAZ) system. The program is well designed and offers a strong educational approach to learn to type efficiently. It is suitable for individuals, businesses and schools having a preference for time-effective online classes and scientifically proven teaching methods. 2019 Bett Awards nomination.

Typing Instructor Platinum may not offer videos, but suits those wanting a playful and creative approach to learning. With its travel and adventure sessions, learning to type is very intuitive. The user interface is also the most stylish one of all programs we had a look at in this typing software review.

Mavis Beacon on the other side is suitable for those preferring personalized lessons and careful testing to evaluate their progress.

Ultrakey offers video tutorials as well and fits adult teaching. The typing software ships with great graphics, features and a license for 3 computers and allows you to set-up 8 users. A big benefit is the option to update to upcoming versions at no extra cost.

9 Best Typing Software 2020

  1. Typesy ★★★★★
  2. Kaz Typing ★★★★★
  3. Typing Instructor ★★★☆☆
  4. Mavis Beacon ★★★★☆
  5. Ultrakey Online ★★★★☆
  6. GS Typing Tutor ★★★☆☆
  7. Ratatype ★★★★☆
  8. All The Right Type ★★★★☆
  9. TypingClub ★★★☆☆

Other Typing Software

TypingClub is good for beginners as it starts off with the very basics you need to become a better typist. Starting off with sitting up straight, TypingClub starts off simply with two letters and adds more as you begin each new keyboarding lesson. Before you know it, you’ll transform from a novice to an advanced typist.

All The Right Type is online typing software made for schools, teachers and students alike. It is aligned with ISTE Standards and offers a no-nonsense approach to learning. Of course, improving pace and accuracy are the main goals, but this tutor also offers adaptive learning technologies, interactive and motivational feedback as well as finger analysis and progress tracking.

Sense-Lang provides sixteen free typing lessons that introduce the very basics and lead to more advanced techniques. Sense-Lang also allows you to practice with your own texts or documents for real-world applications. In addition, you can test your speed.

Further Reading:Posture Tips | Free iPad Typing Tips

What is the best typing software 2020? Please share your thoughts, opinions, experience in the comment below!

Read and Spell blog

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference that can affect spelling and reading skills in children and adults. Students with dyslexia are not less intelligent than their peers, they just process language in a different way. Unfortunately, most school instruction is heavily dependent on reading and writing, thus from an early age, learners with dyslexia are at risk for falling behind or experiencing a mismatch between intellectual potential and performance in the classroom. This is especially true at the end of primary/elementary school when students are graduating from learning to read to reading to learn.

It’s also one reason why dyslexic individuals will typically benefit from having access to strategy training and classroom accommodations that facilitate language use. These accommodations might come in the form of additional time on assessment measures or alternative approaches to assignments.

Quite often they include using a laptop for note-taking, essay-writing, and homework. They may also extend to the use of smartphone and tablet apps that exercise the cognitive abilities which underpin literacy skills success.

But it’s still up to teachers, tutors and parents to select the right programs and apps to ensure a dyslexic learner achieves the maximum benefit from his or her technology use. That’s why we’ve put together this list with information on the skills that learners with dyslexia should be targeting and some of the most popular apps available today.

Since apps were first developed, they have been linked to positive outcomes in the areas of memory -- short and long-term --, phonemic awareness, decoding, sight reading and productive language use. This is partly because smartphone and tablet apps have the ability to render content in an accessible and gamified-way.

They can camouflage repetitive drills with cool graphics and games. They can segment learning in different ways to cater to short attention spans, and they can make it easy to track progress, so students build momentum gradually.
Another thing apps do well is combine visual, linguistic and auditory stimuli. Through the use of touch-screens and keyboards, they also add a kinesthetic element to the learning. This creates a multi-sensory experience which means learners benefit from diverse stimuli channels that reinforce language in memory.

This is especially useful for students who struggle with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia. You can read more about multi-sensory approaches, dyslexia programs and methods of teaching reading in these posts.

Because apps are designed for self-study, they provide a convenient way to build on learning outside of the classroom, and an opportunity for students to practice and build skills gradually, at their own pace, and in the privacy of their homes. This is an important consideration for children with low confidence and self-esteem who may feel embarrassed and hesitate to participate in group settings.

Additionally, learning on a tablet, smartphone or computer opens up access to text-to-speech, voice-to-text, and predictive text technology, functionality which can help a student with dyslexia who is struggling to keep up.

Every learner with dyslexia is unique

No two students with dyslexia have the same profile and you may observe a wide range of characteristic traits. Note they aren’t all negatives either! Some of the strengths associated with dyslexia include creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, enhanced spatial awareness and advanced reasoning skills.

On the other hand, it’s also common to find problems when it comes to reading and writing. The most common type of dyslexia is phonological dyslexia which results in difficulties segmenting the sounds that make up words. This in turn impacts on decoding and spelling skills.
It may be harder for dyslexic learners to retain details in short-term memory, which can affect reading comprehension. You may find students with dyslexia re-read the same paragraph several times and in general struggle with reading fluency, particularly if the books they are reading contain higher percentages of unfamiliar vocabulary. You may see messy handwriting and difficulty sustaining attention due to the cognitive strain associated with literacy activities.

Additionally, productive vocabulary can be limited and syntax simplified in dyslexic writing when compared to oral abilities. This is often a result of the anxiety experienced because of spelling difficulties. Learn more in identifying dyslexia, different types of dyslexia and the strengths associated with dyslexia.

Dyslexia occurs in about 10% of the population and in the majority of cases it is something individuals are born with. It’s most usually genetic, meaning dyslexia often runs in families, but it can also vary widely in how it affects an individual. For some students, dyslexia is mild meaning with a bit of extra effort they can manage to keep up with peers.

However, in an estimated 3-4% of cases dyslexia can be so severe that it prevents literacy skills development. Without reading and writing skills, students are at a disadvantage in mainstream education programs. They may be able to get by with coping strategies in early years but can struggle as workloads increase from one school year to the next. Read more about mild vs. severe dyslexia.

What are the best apps for dyslexia?

Apps for smartphones, tablets, and browsers can make a big difference for children and young-adults with dyslexia. Use them to support reading and writing, make learning more accessible and/or reinforce literacy skills and build confidence.

An app is a flexible and effective way of providing support in the classroom and in the home. For families in which more than one person has dyslexia, you may find that different combinations of apps work better for each child.

Reading apps

Building decoding skills and strengthening phonological awareness

Sounding out words is one of the first challenges kids with dyslexia encounter when they are learning how to read. In order to improve decoding skills it’s important to practice with word segmentation and sound blending. Homer: Kids’ Learn-to-Read Apps have consonant and vowel blending games.

Starfall Learn to Read gives students a chance to play around with sounds, including short and long vowels and the chunking of common English phonemes. Dyslexia Reading provides practice and testing with the most frequently encountered English phonemes and Phonics Games is an app based on the Orton Gillingham approach that offers different rocket activities for finding groups of English sounds.

TOP TIP: Apps that take the Orton-Gillingham approach combine sequential and structured phonics with multi-sensory learning. Touch-type Read and Spell is an Orton-Gillingham touch-typing app for iPads that teaches keyboarding and reinforces reading and spelling skills for students with dyslexia.

You can further support decoding by strengthening phonological awareness. Nursery rhyme apps where students can both hear the song and see the words on the screen are great for younger learners but older students may want a more straightforward rhyming app like Partners in Rhyme. It has drag and drop, rhyming sets and matching games that help students train their ears so they can better hear the components that make-up spoken and written language.

Developing reading fluency

Best Touch Typing App Mac Download

There are a number of ways to increase fluency in reading but learning Sight Words is one of the most effective. Sight words are high frequency words that make up 50% or more of all English texts.

If students can recognize these words without sounding them out, they can spend more time on decoding less frequent terms. This speeds up reading and makes more effective use of their cognitive resources.

There are two popular lists of Sight Words, the Dolch List and Fry’s List. Tiny Human makes a number of apps including Sky Words, Alphabet Catch and most importantly Dolch Sight Words to help with recognition and reading of these words.

Sight Words List lets you practice with recognition and spelling and also record yourself saying the words aloud – and for students with dyslexia the more multi-sensory the practice, the better. Touch-type Read and Spell has several typing modules dedicated to Dolch words.

Spelling Bee : Fry Sight Words is aimed at first grade level words but accompanied by some nice graphics. Lastly, you can try the Sight Words Games in Candy Land app which won the Parents’ Choice Award in 2017.

Apps

TOP TIP: Most of the words on the Dolch List are service words, including prepositions, which can be particularly difficult for dyslexic students to read and spell. That’s because as opposed to nouns they are less amenable to mnemonic devices. Learn more in teaching sight words.

Graded readers are another excellent approach to building fluency and confidence in students with dyslexia. The idea behind these books is they contain higher percentages of high frequency vocabulary and other words which are more readily decoded.

Teens and Adults Phonics Library app (TAP) books have been designed and written by dyslexia reading specialists and are a great place to start.

More reading apps to check out

It is definitely worth exploring other approaches to online reading such as the Kindle and Gerty apps. Gerty contains the Open Dyslexic font which means you can make books more easily readable – learn more about the best fonts for dyslexia in this post.

It additionally allows you to type electronic notes as you read, which creates an interactive and engaging experience that’s excellent for students who work with private reading tutors or struggle with attention difficulties.

In encouraging free reading, Leio is an app that allows students to keep stats on their books so they can see speed increases and track pages read per day. It’s also possible to set reading goals to work towards. In cases of severe dyslexia, students may wish to explore Audible audio books as well.

Learn more about helping students with dyslexia: Fluency strategies for struggling readers, Motivating students to read, Why are some kids reluctant readers?

Spelling apps

When it comes to spelling apps you’re spoiled for choice. That’s because spelling in English is so irregular and consequently so hard, whether you have dyslexia or not. This also means there are a number of apps which help with spelling but may not necessarily provide practice in a dyslexia-friendly way.

We couldn’t put together a better list than the authors at the Homeschooling with Dyslexia Blog, so have a look at their suggestions and remember that on Apple devices Siri can also let students know how to spell a word. Siri doesn’t just read the word aloud letter by letter but will also show you its phonetic pronunciation and definition on the screen.
Touch-typing apps are another great way to improve spelling skills and practice a list. This is because keyboarding translates words into a series of keystrokes which can be learned by muscle memory. Students who struggle with the process of writing may always do so but typing can become automatic. Discover more in this post on how to make your own typing drills and have a look at our article on creative ways to make spelling fun.

Other apps that can help

Many students with dyslexia will benefit from apps that target short-term memory. The Luminosity app provides a quick and gamified way of enhancing short term memory. Aptitude for foreign language learning is another area of interest. Language learning apps that involve images, video and audio create multi-modal learning experiences and may be particularly effective.

Try Duolingo and Memrise and check out our post on dyslexia and foreign language learning, which includes advice on which languages are easier for English speakers with dyslexia. When dyslexia and dyscalculia co-present, you may want to try apps that help students master math facts and math vocabulary. Learn more in this article on students who are struggling with math.

Assembling your ‘dyslexia toolbox’

When dyslexia is assessed by an educational psychologist, you will typically receive a report that specifies the areas in which a child can benefit from additional support – learn more about how they test for dyslexia in this post. Use this as a guide to help you choose apps for your dyslexia toolbox but also keep the following in mind:

  1. How old is the app and will it work on your device? Unfortunately, there are more than a few paid apps which have not been updated in recent years and therefore may not run correctly on devices with newer operating systems.

    This can be particularly problematic when the sound doesn’t play, as sound is essential in most literacy-focused learning. It’s not always possible to see when an app was released but you can see the date of the last version upload and it’s not a great sign if it doesn’t have many recent reviews.

  2. Who is the target audience of the app? There are lots of app options which target younger audiences and may be full of cartoons and animations. However, in the hands of a young-adult learner, this type of app may be patronizing and inappropriate. Look at the app’s screenshots to get a sense of the target age for the content.

    Sometimes this is described in the app description as well. Do you want a purely educational app or would you like it to be more game oriented? Some learners with dyslexia who also struggle with ADD/ADHD can benefit from relatively simple interfaces where they are less likely to be distracted by flashy graphics.

  3. Who makes the app and will the company be sticking around? One frequently encountered issue with accessible apps is they have a smaller market so it’s easier for the companies that make them to go out of business. It’s a shame to find an app your child loves and then either have it not be updated or become unavailable.

    While this has happened with a number of apps listed in other dyslexia tool roundups, in many cases Apple and Google have stepped in with their powerful technology to provide the same services built into devices or browsers.

  4. Is the app available offline? When it comes to mobile apps with audio, data use can sometimes be heavy. Have a look to find out if all of the data can be downloaded when you first get the app or if students will need to use it mainly in places with Wifi.

  5. What pricing model does the app offer? Some apps are a one-off payment, whereas others are monthly subscriptions. Does the price cover one user or multiple user profiles? This is especially important for families where more than one child will be using the app.

Additional assistive technology to explore

  • Text-to-speech
    Depending on the individual student, text-to-speech might be something you want to try in combination with other strategies and apps. On Android devices there’s @Voice Aloud Reader which reads text aloud from other apps and documents, including pdfs. Google has a neat text-to-speech feature. On a computer the Read Aloud browser extension works well on Chrome. You can change the speed at which the voice reads text and you can have it read out web-pages or documents in different electronic voices.
  • Speech-to-text
    This is built into the iPhone microphone next to the keyboard. You can read something out loud as a dictation and the phone will write it down. It may get some words wrong, but you can correct them later. Voice notepad works in a similar way on Google Chrome for your computer. There’s also Dragon speech recognition technology.
  • Accessible text
    At ConvertCase.net you can change things in and out of all caps by copying and pasting text in. The Pages app for Mac products will let you do this too.

TOP TIP: Did you know students with dyslexia are more likely to have irregular usage of capital letters?

Typing programs

Touch-typing is a useful skill for learners with dyslexia to acquire because it automatizes spelling and transforms letter sequences into keystrokes, which may be easier to acquire and produce. However, keep in mind individuals with dyslexia learn in a different way and many popular typing programs may not be suitable for students with special needs.

For example, typing programs that emphasize speed over accuracy, teach nonsense letters, leave out audio prompts or penalize spelling errors, can frustrate a student with dyslexia and end up de-motivating them. That’s why you are best off going with a program that is tailor-made for students with specific learning difficulties. Learn more about the benefits of typing for individuals with dyslexia.

Mac Touch Screen

Touch-type Read and Spell

Touch-type Read and Spell is a multi-sensory app and keyboarding program that is designed to teach dyslexic students how to type and help them improve their spelling and reading skills at the same time. It does this through a whole word typing curriculum carefully sequenced to teach phonemic awareness and sight words using an Orton-Gillingham approach.

Best Touch Typing App Macbook

For 25 years TTRS has been helping students see the word on screen, hear it read aloud and type it, combining different sensory input to reinforce learning.
Modules are short and the interface is simple and distraction-free so students can build momentum. Progress is self-paced. In this way using the app builds self-confidence and self-esteem at the same time as it develops reading and spelling skills. Benefits to literacy skills can be seen both in typing and writing by hand.

Best Touch Typing App Mac Free

Some learners who rely heavily on voice-to-text and other assistive technology have found the program also makes it easier for them to use predictive text features on a smartphone.

Best Free Mac Apps

You can read more about the experience of learners with ADD/ADHD, mild dyslexia, severe dyslexia and other learning difficulties in TTRS testimonials, or give the app a try and see for yourself if it makes a difference for your student(s).