Get help
- 📧 Email: midnightrambler@gmail.com
- 🐛 Issues: github.com/billdonner/123words/issues
Common questions
How does Race! mode work?
From the home screen, pick a duration (1 or 2 minutes) and tap Start Race. You'll see a swipeable ring of five mini-games — Spell It, Word Scramble, Memory Match, Listen & Pick, and Count It — with a shared timer at the top and a score that counts up across all of them. Swipe between games freely and score points wherever you can. When time runs out, you'll see your final score, stars (★ at 10 points, ★★ at 20, ★★★ at 30), and a per-game breakdown. Personal bests are saved separately for each duration.
Why can't I tap the answer again after a wrong tap?
Race mode is one shot per question — answering wrong locks the round briefly and moves on. This keeps races honest (no mashing every option until you hit the right one). Wrong answers don't subtract points; they just don't add any.
I prefer the original home screen with no timer. Can I get it back?
Yes! Long-press the small version label at the bottom of the home screen for about a second. The Parent Settings sheet will open — pick Classic (per-game) under "Home screen" to restore the original swipe-through-games hub with no timer.
How do I open Practice mode?
From the home screen, tap the Practice card at the top. Practice is the untimed reader — swipe through words at your own pace and listen to them spelled out.
How do I go to a new word in Practice?
Swipe left or right on the screen! The app will automatically speak and spell the new word after a moment.
How do I hear the word again?
Tap the Play button. The app will say the word out loud.
How do I see the letters spell out?
Tap the Spell button. Each letter tile will light up yellow as the voice names it.
How do I change the voice?
Tap the 🗣️ Voices button in the lower-right corner. You'll see a grid of voices — tap any one to hear them say "Hello!" and select them as the active voice.
For the warmest, most natural voices, look for those marked ★★★ (Premium) or ★★ (Enhanced). Premium voices can be downloaded in Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices on your iPhone.
There's no sound!
Check that your iPhone is not on silent (the switch on the side). Also make sure the volume is turned up. The app uses your device's speaker directly.
A button isn't working
The Play and Spell buttons are locked while the voice is speaking to prevent overlapping speech. Wait until the voice finishes, then try again.
How do I access Parent Settings?
There are two hidden parent menus:
- Home screen Parent Settings — long-press the small version label ("v1.11 (40)") at the bottom of the home screen for about a second. From there you can switch between Race! and Classic modes and reset race best scores.
- Practice (reader) Settings — open Practice, then long-press the central word picture for about a second. This opens the original word-list, image gallery, and voice picker controls.
Both menus use long-press so curious little fingers won't trip into them by accident.
The pictures are missing for some words
Not every word has a picture yet — we're adding more over time. Words that don't have a picture just show the large colorful letter tiles.
Privacy
123 Words collects nothing and works entirely offline. Read the full privacy policy.
Reporting bugs
Please include the iOS version (Settings → General → About) and the app version shown in Settings.