At phonics.org, we review kids’ phonics programs so you can make informed choices on which apps your child should use. 

Here’s our latest review of Phonics Ninja!

What is Phonics Ninja?

The Phonics Ninja app offers an inventive take on phonics education, mirroring the gameplay mechanics of the well-known Fruit Ninja app but focusing on letters and sounds. 

Tailored for children aged four and up, the app is priced at $0.99 USD. The educational goal of this app appears to be to reinforce the connection between letters and sounds in American English. 

How to Play Phonics Ninja

Phonics Ninja offers parents and adults the ability to dictate which letters and sounds the game emphasizes, attempting to provide a tailored learning experience for their child. 

The game starts by announcing a target sound, requiring players to swiftly match it to the corresponding letter by ‘slicing’ through the corresponding letters as they appear on the screen. While correct responses earn stars, incorrect ones darken the identified letter, offering subtle immediate feedback. 

Each session is timed. The difficulty level, target sounds, and amount of time can be adjusted in the “Parental Gate” area. 

Type of Phonics Instruction

While the Phonics Ninja game is a fun concept, there are some concerns about its type of phonics instruction. 

Lack of Direct Instruction

The Phonics Ninja app has a sole focus on connecting letters to sounds. There is no instruction for alphabetical letter names in the app as they’re never mentioned. The absence of these key instructional elements leaves users without guidance during gameplay. 

Letter Sounds

Phonics Ninja effectively represents most consonant sounds accurately. However, the sound of /y/ has an extra schwa sound added to it. 

There is a section to practice digraphs which are two letters that represent one sound. For example, the /sh/ sound in sheep is a digraph. The sounds of the /wh/, /ng/, and /wr/ digraphs in the Phonics Ninja app are inaccurate. The consonant blends like ‘sl-’ ‘tr-’ and ‘sw-’ are also inaccurate, with an additional schwa sound added to the end. 

Inaccuracies in sounds are not helpful in an app when its sole purpose is to practice letter-sound associations. This inaccurate practice can be detrimental to children learning to read and spell as they start associating incorrect sounds with letters. 

Phonics Ninja Gameplay Concerns

Unfortunately, there are many problems and errors in the Phonics Ninja game, which can make playing frustrating and unhelpful for learners. 

Same Sound, Different Letter

The letters <c> and <k> can represent the same sound. When the sound /k/ is made in the Phonics Ninja app, a child could correctly select a <c> or <k> to ‘slice’. However, the app is looking for a specific answer to the letter <c> or <k> and will only count one as incorrect. There is no way for the user to know which letter they are referring to. This can cause frustration and confusion when practicing letter sounds. 

Rotating Letters

Another notable drawback of Phonics Ninja is the challenge posed by the swirling movements of letters in the air during gameplay. 

While the app aims to reinforce letter recognition, the animated rotation of letters—particularly <n> and <u> or <m> and <w>, <p> and <d>, <b> and <q>—can be confusing. This makes it difficult for young learners to distinguish between similar letters. 

Addressing this issue by keeping the letters upright could significantly enhance the app’s educational value and user experience.

Player Responses

Phonics Ninja’s feedback system is challenging as the distinction between correct and incorrect answers is indirect and sometimes inaccurate. 

This subtlety may lead players to casually ‘slice’ through all letters without a focused effort to differentiate between different sounds and accurately identify the right letter. 

For example, an impulsive child could easily slash everything without attending to letters or sounds. The blurred line between playfulness and effective learning raises concerns about the game’s ability to encourage precise phonics skill development.

Long-Term Engagement

The Phonics Ninja app offers a singular and limited gameplay experience. The appeal of the game may wane over time, as it lacks the diversity necessary to sustain long-term engagement. The repetitive nature of the activities and limited scope for varied challenges may hinder the app’s ability to keep children consistently interested and appropriately challenged.

Confusing Controls

Phonics Ninja offers adaptive learning options. An adult can select specific letters and sounds for their child to practice. However, the controls can be confusing, leading to unintended settings. 

For instance, an unintentional adjustment can result in the game playing white noise for various sounds, rendering it impractical for anyone to play. 

Is the Phonics Ninja App Worth Trying?

The short answer: No. 

Phonics Ninja falls short of being a fun and accurate way to practice foundational phonics skills. While the app serves a singular purpose—practicing associations between letters and sounds—it fails in accuracy, with some sounds being misrepresented, and scoring responses proving unreliable. 

Also, the visual clarity of identified letters is compromised at times. The confusing parental controls, coupled with the potential to render the game purposeless with inadvertent adjustments, add to the app’s drawbacks. While it may engage users briefly, Phonics Ninja is ultimately a one-trick pony that doesn’t deliver sufficient value for its price or time. 

Want to find a useful phonics app for kids? Read our recommended phonics programs from phonics.org!

Overall Rating for Phonics Ninja

• Quality of Literacy Instruction: 1 / 5
• Usability: 1 / 5
• Engagement: 1 / 5