How did we select these minimal pair apps?
We were looking for minimal pair apps that:
- mimic phonological contrast practice
- minimal quality
- be easy to use for families and children
No point wasting time or money on apps for phonological contrastive therapy that are not aligned with recommended drill practice or are complex to use.
Using the right tools is important to not waste time, money and effort. We tried to include free minimal pairs apps though very few qualified for quality and content depth required.
What are our best minimal pair apps recommendations?
If your budget is tight then “Minimal Pairs App for Speech Therapy” is the most budget conscious. If you need a more comprehensive and engaging minimal pairs app then Articulation Station Hive and Minimal Pairs Arcade are your best bet.
We’ve curated here a list of the best minimal pair apps for practice at home between clinic sessions. These apps are designed for home practice between in clinic speech therapy sessions after an established diagnosis of consistent phonological process disorder.
To be frank there aren’t a ton on the market that are high quality and engaging but at least you can get a view of what is available and make the best choice for your family.
Always, try to get recommendations from your speech and language pathologist first to ensure that what you are doing at home aligns with their therapy plan. They might have suggestions for minimal pair app alternatives.
For example, these apps would not be relevant for children who have inconsistent phonological process disorder and are being treated with core vocabulary therapy.
Articulation Station Hive by Little Bee Speech
Apple Store Rating:
Age Range: 4+ years old
What we love:
- one of the most recommended apps by speech and language therapists
- comprehensive list of words and modern images
- includes both articulation targets and minimal pair targets
Needs improvement:
- for non-expert parent, unless you have been given specific instructions by your therapist, it’s hard to decide which sounds, in which position, in which order
- limited engaging gameplay
- requires parents to sit with child to ‘score’ the speech which isn’t great to do in front of your child
Availability: iOS, iPadOS
Pricing: 9.99 US$ per month or 119.99 US$ per year for famillies
Minimal Pair App by Learning Fundamentals
Age Range: 4+ years old
What we love:
- good value for money
Needs improvement:
- limited to final consonants, initial consonants, and initial /s/ clusters
- scoring needs to be done in front of child
- illustrations only, no real pictures
Availability: iOS, iPadOS
Pricing: 5.99 US$
SLP Minimal Pairs by SLP Tech Tools
Apple Store Rating:
Age Range: 4+ years old, built for older children
What we love:
- free trial
- good data tracking
Needs improvement:
-
- value for money vs other apps
- illustrations only, no pictures
- psychedelic backgrounds
Availability: iOS, iPadOS
Pricing: Lite is free (Consonant Cluster Reduction Only), full is 29.99 US$
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Minimal Pair App for Speech Therapy by Innovative Investments
Apple Store Rating:
Age Range: 4+ years old
What we love:
- good value for money
- easy to navigate
- modern illustrations
Needs improvement:
- no real pictures
Availability: iOS, iPadOS
Pricing: 0.99 US$
Minimal Pairs Arcade by Aptus Health
Apple Store Rating:
Age Range: 0 to 5 years old
What we love:
- modern graphics
- most engaging games
- progress tracking
Needs improvement:
- no free trials available
Availability: iOS, iPadOS
Pricing: 49.99 US$
We have found no Android minimal pair apps that corresponded to our criteria as the single free minimal pair app that exists includes ads. Ads are never appropriate for children’s apps.
We hope this list of minimal pair apps to improve articulation for children with phonological disorders can help other famillies do home practice. Let us know what you think and share with us your own favorite apps!
