• Love Reading

      Love Reading

      Reading and spelling accessible to all.
      Start Today
    • Take Control

      Take Control

      Get in the driving seat of your learning.
      Start Today
    • Study Anywhere

      Study Anywhere

      Reading and spelling to fit your lifestyle.
      Start Today
    • Literacy for Life

      Literacy for Life

      Discover how Units of Sound makes a difference.
      Start Today
    • Study Anywhere

      Study Anywhere

      Reading and spelling to fit your lifestyle.
      Start Today

    Voice Recording

    Record your voice to discover all the little things you can do to improve your reading technique.

    Literacy for Life

    Your program of learning is individual and flexible so that you are working at your own pace.

    Unlock Your Learning

    Sessions help you learn at exactly the right level, with feedback to help monitor your progress.

    Being a Tutor

    We offer online training for any tutor. We’ll help you get the most out of the program and resources.

    How it works

    Introduction

    Find out what Units of Sound can do for you. A short introduction to the main features.

    Reading

    See how the Reading program takes you from a single Unit of Sound through to paragraphs.

    Spelling & Writing

    See how spelling develops from single words through to phrases and sentences to writing paragraphs.

    What People Are Saying...

    Units of Sound really helped me become better at my reading, spelling, and remembering.
    Units of Sound Student
    Primary School
    The repetition element of the programme definitely enhances the embedding of the unit of sound.
    Units of Sound Teacher
    Primary School
    A fantastic resource to support reading and literacy.
    Units of Sound Teacher
    Academy
    The structure of activities promotes overlearning and helps develop skills quickly so that children’s confidence is increased.
    Units of Sound Teacher
    Primary School
    Units of Sound is interesting and it helps me with my spelling. I like it because it is easy and simple to use.
    Units of Sound Student
    Primary School

    Features

    Find out more

    Online, wherever you are…

    Units of Sound  is online, so you don’t have to load a program onto your network. It will run on Windows or a Mac computer and requires Flash Player. Each student will need a headset, with a microphone. There are a few things for you to check to make sure your technology can access Units of Sound.

    Online
    Who is Units of Sound for?
    Units of Sound is for anyone who wants to improve their reading or spelling. It’s suitable for children from eight upwards, and for adults of all ages.
    Can an adult use Units of Sound?
    Yes. There is a single student home version, which means you can work on Units of Sound at home or anywhere with an internet connection. Our online teaching team can set up and support you remotely. There are also a number of networks that work with Units of Sound that may be able to assist you.
    Can I use Units of Sound with a child younger than eight years old?
    Units of Sound starts with three letter (cvc) words and is a second chance literacy tool. If you do use it with a seven year old, you need to be sure they are ready for it and are not still on the Active Literacy Kit level.
    How much does it cost?
    There are a number of options available. Starting with the single student home version, a professional tutor with a small number of students, for schools and institutions price depends on the number of student licences you buy. Click for more information.
    What equipment do I need?
    You need a computer with sound capabilities for playback and recording, either Windows or Macintosh, that has an up to date version of Adobe Flash Player. You will also need a good quality headset with microphone connected to the computer, ideally a noise cancelling headset.

    Our Team

    The Units of Sound team is here to support you.

    Hannah MacLellan

    Hannah worked as a Dyslexia and Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years, and is now working with the Units of Sound development team as Training and Education Manager.
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    Karl Vickers

    Karl having been involved with technology his entire working life brings a wealth of experience in support and development of Units of Sound.
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    Margaret Rooms MBE

    Margaret has led the development of Units of Sound since 1994.
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    Friends of Units of Sound

    Supporting Units of Sound.

    johnrack

    A chartered psychologist, John is a leading researcher in the field of dyslexia and was one of the first researchers to focus on phonology and dyslexia. He has held appointments at the University of York and at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

    paulkeenleyside

    Experienced executive bridging the Education and Charity sectors

    stevechinn

    With a career spanning over thirty years of work and research in special and mainstream education. In 1986 founded and then developed a specialist secondary school for dyslexic boys, which won several major national awards.