Reading Without Sounding Out
Learn to recognize the most common words instantly so you can stop struggling with phonics and start enjoying real stories. Master the 'tricky' words that don't follow the rules.
Like Duolingo, but for Reading Without Sounding Out. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Read Your First Sentences, Spot the Words That Break the Rules, and Build Speed and Confidence. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Key ideas in Reading Without Sounding Out
- Nouns represent people, places, or things
- 'The' and 'a' act as pointers for nouns
- Pointer words like 'the' come before the thing they describe
- Descriptive words usually sit between the pointer and the noun
- 'The' and 'a' are used to introduce nouns
- Recognizing 'the' and 'a' as signals that a noun is about to appear
- Since most sentences involve nouns, these pointer words appear constantly
- Identifying the standard sequence of a pointer word followed by an object
- The word 'I' is used when you are the one doing the action
- 'Me' is for the person receiving the action
- The word 'I' usually appears at the start of the sentence
- 'I' is for the person acting
- Distinguishing between being the 'doer' and the 'receiver' in a sentence
- The word 'I' refers to the person speaking or writing
- The word 'Me' refers to the person speaking or writing
- Identifying the specific sight words used to represent oneself in text
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Reading Without Sounding Out the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When you see the word 'the' in a sentence, what is it usually doing?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Reading Without Sounding Out takes you
- 1
Read Your First Sentences
- Spotting 'The' and 'A' Everywhere
- Using 'I' and 'Me' to Talk About Yourself
- Connecting Words with 'And'
- Finding Action Words Like 'Go' and 'See'
- Reading Your First Three-Word Sentence
- 2
Spot the Words That Break the Rules
- Why 'Was' and 'Said' Look Funny
- Mastering 'You' and 'Are'
- The Secret Sounds of 'Of' and 'From'
- Words That Point Like 'This' and 'That'
- 3
Build Speed and Confidence
- Reading Groups of Words at Once
- Finding Sight Words in Your Favorite Books
- How Your Brain Remembers Word Shapes
3 sections · 12 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Reading Without Sounding Out is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Reading Without Sounding Out today.
Download Tomo, search Reading Without Sounding Out, and play your first lesson in under a minute.