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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Sight Words Reading Games ABC

60
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Sight Words Reading Games ABC is generally praised for its engaging approach to teaching sight words, particularly for younger children, but it faces significant criticism for its in-app purchase system, technical glitches, and limited free content.

4.8★ lifetime (68,319) Free + in-app purchases since 2012 by CFC s.r.o. updated 0.9 mo ago recent negative 24% 120 reviews across 4 regions
In-App Purchases Technical Issues Educational Effectiveness Content & Customization Avatar Customization
5★202
4★24
3★15
2★19
1★57
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

This app aims to help children learn sight words through various games, with many users finding it effective and engaging for early readers. However, a substantial number of recent reviews highlight issues with in-app purchases not unlocking content, problems with family sharing, and frequent app crashes or loading failures. The free version offers limited content, pushing users towards a paid model that often malfunctions.

What users like

  • Effective for teaching sight words and improving reading skills, especially for younger childrenR1R8R16R32
  • Engaging and fun games keep children interested in learningR4R15R23R30
  • Offers different grade levels, though access to higher levels is often problematicR32R34

What users complain about

  • Frequent issues with in-app purchases not unlocking content or requiring re-purchase on other devicesR11R75R206R207
  • App often crashes, gets stuck on loading screens, or has other technical glitchesR36R63R68R71
  • Limited free content, with many games locked behind a paywallR10R33R91R158
  • Difficulty levels may not be appropriate for all ages, with some finding it too hard for preschoolers or too easy for older childrenR11R117R196R232
  • Pronunciation issues and lack of customization for word lists are reportedR17R100R197R211
  • Avatar customization has glitches and lacks diverse options, particularly for black charactersR212R220R221R234

Latest update · v3.4.8

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Master all 220 Dolch sight words (plus 94 nouns!) through engaging games that make learning easy. Summer Update! Keep Reading Sharp! Beat the summer slide and keep your child’s reading skills strong with quick, fun Sight Words games. Learning stays easy, engaging, and effective all summer long! The 22learn team has been hard at work and adding new features to make learning faster, easier, and even more fun. Designed by teachers & Loved by parent.

Recurring themes

In-App Purchases negative
Many users report paying for the full version or additional games only to find the content remains locked, or they are prompted to repurchase on other devices or after reinstallation. There are also complaints about the limited free content, forcing users to pay for more games.R10R11R33R75
Technical Issues negative
A significant number of reviews mention the app not loading, getting stuck on loading screens, crashing, or having other glitches. Some users also report issues with the 'for parents only' math problem not working, preventing them from unlocking content.R36R63R68R71
Educational Effectiveness positive
Many parents find the app highly effective for teaching sight words and improving their children's reading skills, particularly for preschoolers and kindergarteners. The games are often described as engaging, fun, and educational.R1R4R8R15
Content & Customization mixed
While the app helps with sight words, some users note limited word lists per age group and no option to add custom words. There are also complaints about pronunciation issues and a new feature that reads words for kids, which some find counterproductive. The difficulty levels are sometimes mismatched for children.R11R17R117R196
Avatar Customization negative
Users report glitches in the avatar creation, specifically being unable to change the 'legs' or bottom part of the monster character. There are also significant complaints about the lack of diverse representation, particularly for black female and male characters, with limited options and mismatched clothing/body parts.R212R220R221R234

Who it's for

This app is for parents looking for an engaging way to introduce sight words to preschoolers and kindergarteners R32. It could be beneficial for children who respond well to gamified learning and need practice with common words R16R30. Skip this app if you are looking for extensive free content, a glitch-free experience, or advanced customization options for word lists or avatars R10R91R223R233.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew significantly negative, primarily due to technical issues and problems with in-app purchases. This contrasts with the high lifetime rating, suggesting a recent decline in user satisfaction. The developer's notes mention adding new features for faster, easier learning, but recent reviews indicate persistent technical issues and purchase problems, contradicting claims of improved functionality.

Frequently asked

Is the app truly free?
No, the app is 'Free + in-app purchases,' meaning only a limited number of games (typically 3) and the preschool level are free, with the majority of content locked behind a paywall R10R33R91R158.
Can I use purchased content on multiple devices?
Many users report significant issues with purchases not transferring or unlocking on multiple devices, even when using the same account, often requiring re-purchase R207R209R216R217.
Are there technical issues with the app?
Yes, many recent reviews indicate frequent technical problems, including the app getting stuck on loading screens, crashing, or failing to run on certain devices R36R63R68R72.
Can I customize the sight word lists?
No, reviewers state there is no way to add your own words or customize lists to match specific curriculum requirements R223R233.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] 5/5 · US Awesome: Love it! My daughter has been reading more with this app
  2. [R8] 5/5 · US A good app: It helps me learn a lot and also my kids I believe this is a very good app
  3. [R16] 5/5 · US The best helping site words game: It is so good to help little kids who don’t know how to sound at words and math. It helps him so much. My kids need to use it.
  4. [R32] 5/5 · US Love it for the reading help!: Learning sight words can really work like magic. My son is 3 and started showing a lot of interest in reading. He sees his older brother reading all the time and naturally wants to feel included. This app has been wonderful for him. I selected the prek level in the app (the app goes up to 3rd grade). He has now picked up almost all of the words in that level! Reading
  5. [R4] 5/5 · US Great games: Fantástico
  6. [R15] 5/5 · US GREAT: My 5year begs to play this game.
  7. [R23] 5/5 · US Great app: This app really keeps the kids engaging and learning. I love it.
  8. [R30] 5/5 · US Love this game!: My seven-year-old needed some learning games for summer break and this was the perfect game!
  9. [R34] 4/5 · US It’s good, but just a problem: OK, I like the game. It’s amazing. I like word machine well like then we have to pay for stuff and my daughter is in second grade so she can’t really put second and they just have to pay for it so maybe that’s the problem but I like the game it’s amazing.
  10. [R11] 1/5 · US So unrealistic for prek: Our son is a very smart 5 year old and within a few minutes of playing with this app, I quickly discovered it’s too difficult for him. I’m very disappointed that I was charged without the option of a free trial and would like my money back
  11. [R75] 2/5 · US Fix the payment glitch pls: I really wanted to like this game but it keeps glitching when I try to purchase to unlock all of the levels and games. So my 2nd grader is stuck on Kindergarten and 3 games that she’s bored with. Disappointing.
  12. [R206] 1/5 · US Bought up grade and it won’t unlock: I bought the upgrade and it won’t unlock. Very upsetting.
  13. [R207] 3/5 · US I love this app for my son: I got this app for my son to master his sight words which he was loving especially the games. Anyways His iPad crack and I got him a new one but now the app is asking me to purchase this app again when I already did. It’s really frustrating I hope I can get some help or my money back.
  14. [R36] 1/5 · US iPad say GlobalSign cert not trusted: My kid was using this app fine for a while, but I updated it today and now iPhone doesn’t trust the app’s GlobalSign certificate. I have the option to bypass and continue to app but with today’s tech breaches and scam and malware I am over cautious and will be deleting the app. I tried to access app support from the App Store vs leaving a review, but the butto
  15. [R63] 1/5 · US Will not load: I have had nothing but difficulties loading this app since paying for the full version! My granddaughter loves playing this but it will not load for some reason. Very disappointed!
  16. [R68] 1/5 · US Waaaaaaahaaaaaa!!!!!: Game Crash
  17. [R71] 3/5 · US Help: It soft locks me in the bingo part really help me
  18. [R10] 1/5 · US It sucks: It is so expensive, not to mention the a lot of the levels there is this thing you can fidget with causing my son not to do it. I HATE IT.
  19. [R33] 2/5 · US It’s ok: This game is ok but you can only do 3 of the activities and Thats it then you have to replay the games. and you can’t pick the grade that it’s on.so for someone who doesn’t want to buy the things of games it’s not that fun.
  20. [R91] 1/5 · US I’d give it i zero if I could: Literally only get three games then it tries to get you to buy the rest. annoying!!!
  21. [R158] 1/5 · US Only pre school is free: While it was fun for a very short time. Only 3 games at the pre school level are free. Then all the others are $3.99 a game. Believed the reviews that said this was free and hours of fun. Lasted 15 minutes of fun then disappointing he couldn’t play one of the games.
  22. [R117] 3/5 · US It’s ok: I think this will be great for my kindergartener but my daughter who is 4 and in preschool wanted to try this and the prek setting is a little difficult asking them to spell words and remember words for matching..I’ll probably find something else for her but for us not preschool friendly
  23. [R196] 1/5 · US Not good for you get kids: Good if your kid already knows sight words but not great to learn them.
  24. [R232] 3/5 · US Levels: I like this game’ it helped my little girl learn but some of the levels are too hard for her so I wish it would ask their ageless even a little test or something like that so they can see what level the kids are at l.
  25. [R17] 1/5 · US Pronunciation issues: All three free games pronounce the word a as /aw/.
  26. [R100] 1/5 · US Flawed approach! Beware!: Teaching to memorize words rather than teaching kids to sounds words out. Linguists have shown this approach is deleterious and not how the human brain learns to read and write.
  27. [R197] 2/5 · US New update makes the whole thing pointless.: This USED to be a good educational app. But then they added a feature where it reads the words for the kids, and now its just crap. My son wont read if he doesn't have to, and having the app read for him makes the whole thing pointless. Now i have to find a new app for him. Very disappointed.
  28. [R211] 1/5 · US Not unlockable, not contextualized: There’s a lot of potential here but the words are not used in sentences, the gears don’t create sentences and the upper levels of the game are not unlockable so we are stuck at pre-K. This will only last a week.
  29. [R212] 3/5 · US Could be improved.: My child loves this game, she gets excited doing each of the activities but the lack of levels and difficulty makes it hard to keep her attention and it is not as effective. Also when my child wants to make a monster, she can’t change the feet, it’s frustrating for even me.
  30. [R220] 1/5 · US Black girl: There is no bottom for the black girl character. The clothes that cover the only black arms do not match with any other bottom. Disappointing.
  31. [R221] 1/5 · US RACIST: This app has only 1 black female face option and there aren’t any legs to match. How about you actually show some consideration for children that aren’t white! How about giving them some decent representation
  32. [R234] 1/5 · US Image options: Can the little black boy have other clothing options. Like a sailor or kept neat clothes like the others? Thanks
  33. [R209] 1/5 · US Does not work stole my money: We used the free version for a while and decided to get the full version and now it’s still locked and says it can’t connect. So I tried to get it on my phone and it say it’s already been purchased and won’t let me get it.
  34. [R216] 1/5 · US Family sharing did not work: Family sharing did not work. Unlocked on my cell but not on my sons iPad.
  35. [R217] 1/5 · US Purchase doesn't work on multiple devices: I purchased this app on my iPhone but when I go to open it on my iPad for my daughter it won't let me access all of the levels without repeating the purchase. Super frustrating. I've tried to reach the app support and the link is no longer active. Hoping my review might get someone to help me!
  36. [R72] 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: Downloaded but stuck on loading first screen. Tried deleting and redownloading app. Same issue. Went to reviews where I found many with same issue. Needs programming work.
  37. [R223] 3/5 · US Fun app, but sight words are limited: This is a really fun app for kids! Unfortunately, the number of sight words per age group is very limited. I Downloaded it to help me homeschool the kids during quarantine, and this does not have any of the actual words assigned by my daughter’s kindergarten teacher! There is also no way to add your own words. My daughter enjoys it, but I wish I had review
  38. [R233] 1/5 · US No Custom Sight Word List: I purchased this in hopes of being able to create a custom sight words list, but it doesn’t appear to be possible. Most of my K’s words are there but they in different lists and I want to customize to match his upcoming test on just 20 words, but it doesn’t let you select just those words from the multiple lists. It could be really good if it had this feature.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store