10 years of research
39 sounds of English — complete
Tested with learners ages 7 to 70
4 platforms — Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Try it right now — no download needed
Watch three words come alive
Learn three words in under five minutes. No account required.
Why other apps don't work
Phonics teaches that letters have sounds. That's backwards. Sounds came first — your child already knows them. Letters are just the notation we invented to write sounds down.
Black Swan Reading uses a four-step process called HSSR. Each word is taught the way the brain actually stores it: sound first, then spelling, then reading.
Heard
Hear the whole word, then the sounds inside it.
Said
Say the sounds in order. No guessing.
Spelled
Learn how each sound is spelled. The breakthrough.
Read
Read it — instantly and reliably.
What to expect
Within minutes, your child will hear how words are built from smaller sounds — and start recognizing those sounds everywhere. This is the foundation. Once it's solid, reading follows fast. With 10–20 minutes a day, the full sound system — all 39 sounds in English — can be covered in roughly 20 hours of total app time.
This is not a solo screen-time app.
BSR works best when a parent or grandparent sits with the child. You don't need to be a teacher — the app is the teacher. You're the coach. Your presence is what makes it stick.
No coins. No leaderboards. No gamification.
We deliberately left those out. The reward is reading. If your child needs a game to stay engaged, the method isn't working. Ours works.
Your options
Every family faces this choice.
😐
Wait and hope
Hope school figures it out. Most parents try this first. Half of fourth-graders are still below proficiency.
✨
Black Swan Reading
20 hours with your child. One-time purchase. The app teaches. You coach.
🎓
Private tutor
$50–100/hour for 40+ hours. That's $2,000–5,000. Great if you can afford it.
Is this right for you?
BSR is for you if:
✓ You can sit with your child 10–20 minutes a day
✓ You want to be part of their reading breakthrough
✓ You're tired of apps that entertain but don't teach
✓ You're a parent, grandparent, or tutor
BSR is not for you if:
✗ You want a drop-your-kid-in-front-of-a-screen app
✗ You want flashy games and reward coins
✗ You're looking for something your child does alone
"We tested Black Swan Reading with a 7-year-old beginning reader and a 70-year-old who had struggled with reading her entire life. Both learned as quickly as we hoped."
— Byron Davies, founder
As families use BSR, we'll share their stories here.
Common questions
What ages is this for?
Ages 4–9, whether they're just starting out or struggling with reading.
How long are the sessions?
10–20 minutes. More if your child wants to keep going.
Do I need teaching experience?
No. The app is the teacher. You're the coach — your job is to be present and encouraging.
Does this work over Zoom?
Yes — grandparents love this. Share your screen and learn together, even from across the country.
How is this different from phonics apps like Hooked on Phonics or Homer?
Those apps start with letters and teach that letters "have" sounds. We start with sounds — which your child already knows — and teach how they're spelled. It's the direction that matters.
Can my child use any book, not just the built-in content?
Yes — paste, type, or photograph any text. BSR teaches the unknown words in whatever your child wants to read. No restriction to "decodable" readers.
Ready to start?
Available on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Who built this
Byron Davies (Stanford EE Ph.D.) has spent 10 years turning reading science into software. Judy Ramirez spent a decade teaching third grade, grew frustrated watching phonics fail children, and spent the next 15 years developing the sounds-first method that powers BSR. Diane Dick brings 30 years of sales experience and an unshakeable belief that a million children can learn to read with this app.
© 2026 Black Swan Learning LLC · Payson, Arizona