Word Critters: Read & Catch

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.