Every alien word is a creature waiting to be born.
Your child reads the alien name aloud. Each sound they get right grows part of the creature, and a missed sound shows as a see-through gap, so you can see exactly which sounds to practise.
You listen, you tap, the creature grows. No microphone needed.
- Phonics practice
- UK Year 1
- Listening
- Read together
- Privacy
- Nothing recorded
01 / Creatures
How a word becomes a body
The rule is fixed and simple enough that a parent learns it in a minute. The vowel sound, the heart of the word, becomes the body. Sounds before it build the legs and arms. Sounds after it build the face and the antennae.
Body
The vowel sound. Long vowels like oa and igh make a bigger body.
Legs
First sound before the vowel. A digraph like th gives springy legs.
Arms
Second sound before the vowel.
Face
First sound after the vowel. A digraph gives three eyes.
Antennae
Second sound after the vowel.
Read-together mode
Your child reads the alien name aloud to you, and you tap any sound they missed, just like a teacher marks the real check.
02 / Your child's planet
A planet that grows as they read
Every creature your child grows lives on their own small planet, which opens new places as they learn.
Mia’s planet: meadow and forest open, 5 creatures, 1 sleepy.
Sleepy creatures
When a sound is due for practice, the creatures made from it get sleepy. Reading their names wakes them up.The Creature Book
Every creature your child has grown, with the sounds it came from. Progress at a glance, with no charts.Rare creatures
The trickiest sounds grow rare creatures, with wings, crests and stars. Children go looking for the hard sounds.
03 / For grown-ups
What your child needs next, in plain English
A calm page for you: which sounds need a second go, one small game to try, and a short weekly paragraph.
Sounds that needed a second go
Each sound your child slipped on in the last two weeks, and whether they read it correctly after a retry.Try this for 3 minutes
One little game for the sound that needs it most, with nothing to print and nothing to buy.This week in one paragraph
A calm summary of the week, written from numbers only. Never a comparison with other children.The Big Migration
A practice run of the Year 1 phonics check, 40 names in one journey. Your child only ever sees a celebration.
04 / Pricing
One price for the whole family
Start free with your first 5 creatures. When you're ready, choose the way to pay that suits you.
Monthly
£9.99a month
Month by month. Stop whenever you like.
- All the children in your family (up to 6)
- Each child's own planet, growing with every sound
- The Big Migration: a calm practice of the Year 1 check
- A certificate for every level
- The parent report: sounds that needed a second go
- Nothing recorded: no microphone, no audio stored
First season
Launch offer
£39.99for the first season
Price locked while you stay.
- All the children in your family (up to 6)
- Each child's own planet, growing with every sound
- The Big Migration: a calm practice of the Year 1 check
- A certificate for every level
- The parent report: sounds that needed a second go
- Nothing recorded: no microphone, no audio stored
School-year passBest value
£59.99a year
September to August, whenever you join.
- All the children in your family (up to 6)
- Each child's own planet, growing with every sound
- The Big Migration: a calm practice of the Year 1 check
- A certificate for every level
- The parent report: sounds that needed a second go
- Nothing recorded: no microphone, no audio stored
All children in your family included.
05 / For schools
For schools and tuition centres
One account for your whole group, with each child on their own planet and the same calm, no-comparison approach.
Per child, per year
From £15 to £25 a child, for 20 children or more, invoiced. We’re setting prices with our first schools and tuition centres now. How Xenly works for schools. Already with us? Sign in to your centre
06 / Private by design
Nothing to worry about
Built for five-year-olds, with a grown-up always there. We collect as little as we can.
You do the listening.
Your child reads aloud to you, and you tap any sound they missed, like a teacher marks the real check.Nothing is recorded.
There's no microphone in the app today. When Xenly learns to listen, it will do it on your device and keep no audio.Only a first name is stored.
No surname, no date of birth, no photo, no school. Download or delete everything from Settings at any time.
07 / Questions
Questions parents ask
Short answers to what parents ask us most. Our guides go into more detail.
What is Xenly?
Xenly is phonics practice for children in Year 1. Your child reads alien words aloud, and each sound they read grows a part of a creature. The creatures live on your child’s own planet.
Does Xenly record my child?
No. Nothing your child says is ever recorded or uploaded. You listen, and you tap any sound that needed a second go.
How long does it take each day?
A few minutes. Growing one creature takes about a minute. Little and often works better than one long session.
Does it follow what my child learns at school?
Yes. Xenly follows the Letters and Sounds phases that most schools in England use. Our guide to the phonics phases shows the sounds in each one.
Will it help with the Phonics Screening Check?
The Big Migration is a calm practice run of the check, with 40 words. Our guide to the check explains the real thing.
What does it cost?
Your first 5 creatures are free. After that there are three plans, and one price covers every child in your family. See our prices.