Frequently Asked Questions

Ultimate Phonics runs on Windows and Macintosh computers.

• Windows 7, Vista, and XP
• Macintosh OS X 10.4 and higher

Ultimate Phonics is a very effective reading program. To get an idea of the kind of results you can expect, take a look at our testimonials.

For young children first learning to read, they will be excellent readers for the rest of their lives.

For older students struggling with reading, their reading, spelling, fluency, and comprehension will be vastly improved. This will enable them to do much better in all the other areas where poor reading was causing them problems.

For adults, they will now have learned the important phonics skills they unfortunately missed out on when they were younger. They should now be able to read much more fluently, accurately, and independently.

Ultimate Phonics gets great results because it's an extremely well designed educational program.

• It uses systematic, intensive phonics.
• It's complete. It teaches all the phonics sounds and rules.
• It teaches directly, without distracting cartoon games.
• It emphasizes actual reading, not just memorizing rules.
• It progresses gradually with lots of reading practice

Ultimate Phonics can help anyone with weak basic reading skills become a better reader.

If you're not sure if your children or students have weak reading skills, use our free 10 Minute Reading Test. This test gives you an easy way to tell if someone will benefit from using Ultimate Phonics.

Here are some areas where Ultimate Phonics can help:

• Beginning readers
• Struggling readers of all ages
• Adult literacy
• Dyslexia
• Learning disabilities
• Poor reading comprehension
• Poor reading fluency
• Poor spelling
• ELL / ESL

Ultimate Phonics is a versatile program suitable for ages 4 to adult. It teaches the complete phonics system regardless of age. For young children first learning to read, it teaches them to be excellent lifelong readers. For older students and adults, the direct design and deep content make it the ideal choice for improving reading ability without being insulting.

The youngest age is 3 or 4 depending on the child. Before starting, children should already know the names of the letters of the alphabet. If they are too young to learn the alphabet then they are too young to learn to read. However, as soon as they reach the level of development where they have mastered the alphabet they are now ready to begin Ultimate Phonics.

Ultimate Phonics is not geared to a particular grade level. It teaches the complete set of phonics skills for reading English. Ideally these skills would be taught when children are first learning to read in preschool or kindergarten. However, older students and adults who missed out when they were younger must still learn the same set of phonics skills to become better readers.

In terms of content, Ultimate Phonics teaches over 4,400 words and 2,100 sentences, ending up at around a fifth grade level vocabulary. Our aim is to teach them to read at a high enough level so that they can independently read books and improve on their own from there.

The length of time to finish Ultimate Phonics varies with the student. Because it does a complete job, the program is fairly long. An average student might take around one year to finish the 262 lessons, using the program 2-3 hours per week. However, some students may finish the program in a matter of months while a few may require a couple of years.

Remember, some people have less aptitude for reading and will take longer, although almost anyone can eventually become a good reader with proper teaching. In return for your investment of time with Ultimate Phonics you are guaranteed your children or students will learn the essential skills to become better lifelong readers.

Ultimate Phonics can be used anywhere reading is taught:

• Home
• Preschool
• Elementary school
• Middle and High school
• Community college
• Tutoring program
• Learning center
• Adult literacy program

Ultimate Phonics teaches your children or students to read with direct, systematic, intensive phonics. This is the method proven by scientific research to be the most effective for teaching better reading.

We begin at the most basic level of reading, with two and three letter words with short vowels. From there we introduce one new rule at a time, gradually progressing through all the phonics rules of English in a sequence. We end up at a fairly advanced level, reading multisyllable words and sentences at a fifth grade level and higher.

All the way through, students always learn by reading actual words and sentences, not by memorizing rules in isolation. At every point the words and sentences are carefully controlled so they only use rules that students have already learned. This ensures their ability to read all the material without becoming frustrated and needing to guess.

When they finish the program, students will have covered all the phonics rules of English and they will have learned to read over 4,400 words and 2,100 sentences. Their skill level should now be high enough so that they can read independently and continue to improve on their own.

Ultimate Phonics offers several advantages over Hooked on Phonics. This comparison is with the Hooked On Phonics Learn to Read program.

Ultimate Phonics is easier to use

Ultimate Phonics makes learning to read much easier and simpler than Hooked on Phonics. Hooked on Phonics consists of a huge assortment of little pieces that make it far more complicated and cumbersome. The truth is, if you really know how to teach reading it should be a simple and direct process. Ultimate Phonics provides everything you need in one affordable software program to teach your children to be great readers.

Ultimate Phonics is more complete

Ultimate Phonics is more complete than Hooked on Phonics. According to its label, the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program only goes up to a second grade reading level. In contrast, Ultimate Phonics teaches all of the phonics sounds and rules of English up to the highest grade levels.

Ultimate Phonics is more affordable

Ultimate Phonics is $69.95 for the complete program. It teaches all the phonics sounds and rules, and goes up to a fifth grade level vocabulary. Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read costs $199.95 and only goes up to second grade level. Wouldn't you rather save money and get a better program?

Ultimate Phonics is better for older children

The 100% educational design of Ultimate Phonics makes it very suitable for older children as well as beginning readers. Older students won't be insulted by the program, plus they need the more advanced vocabulary and rules. If your children are struggling with reading problems, you won't find a better solution than Ultimate Phonics

The choice is obvious. Try Ultimate Phonics and see the difference it can make for your children and students.