Aria AI Coach · 3D Speech Therapist · Ages 2–12 · iOS
Meet Aria — your child's AI speech therapist.
SpeechStars features Aria, a 3D AI speech coach who watches your child speak, spots every error in real time, and says exactly what a real SLP would say — "Watch my mouth, put your tongue behind your top teeth." Clinically-designed for ages 2–12. Free on iOS.
"Put your tongue tip right behind your top front teeth — like THIS! 👅"
Meet Aria — New in v1.6
The world's first 3D AI speech therapist for kids.
Aria is a fully animated 3D AI coach built right into SpeechStars. She listens to every word your child says, identifies the exact error type in real time — substitution, omission, distortion — and gives the precise placement coaching a licensed SLP would give. Then she shows your child the correct mouth shape.
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Hears every attemptOn-device speech recognition classifies each error by type the moment your child speaks — no cloud delay.
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Says exactly what an SLP saysAria's AI coaching is tuned by SLPs — for a substitution she names the error; for omission she cues the missing sound; for distortion she slows down and demonstrates.
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Shows the mouth shape in 3DAfter coaching, Aria animates the exact articulatory position for 2 repeats so your child can copy it — the same technique SLPs use in clinic.
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Celebrates every winCorrect answers trigger a big smile, eye squint, and genuine celebration — making kids want to keep going.
Speech therapy costs $100–$300/hr. SpeechStars is free.
The average family spends $4,000–$8,000 per year on private speech therapy. SpeechStars gives children clinically-designed daily practice at home — free — so every clinic session counts more.
Traditional Therapy Only
$4,000+/yr
✓ Expert SLP guidance
✓ Personalised treatment plan
✗ 1–2 sessions/week only
✗ No daily home practice tool
✗ Progress depends on between-session practice
RECOMMENDED
Therapy + SpeechStars
Free daily practice
✓ SLP sessions stay focused on new skills
✓ Daily home practice between sessions
✓ Real-time feedback the child can see
✓ Progress data to share with your SLP
✓ Habit-forming streaks & rewards
Other Speech Apps
$9.99/mo
✓ Flashcard-style practice
✗ No live speech recognition
✗ No real-time transcript
✗ No mouth-placement coaching
✗ Paid subscription required
What's in v1.6
Real speech therapy, not just flashcards.
SpeechStars uses the same articulation protocols as real speech-language pathologists — with live speech recognition, mouth-placement coaching, and adaptive difficulty that progresses with your child.
New in v1.6
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Live Transcript Strip
A real-time transcript banner appears the moment the mic activates — showing your child exactly what the app hears as they speak. Waveform bars pulse with audio level. No more guessing whether the mic caught it. The child sees immediate confirmation that they were heard, which dramatically reduces frustration and improves engagement.
Enhanced in v1.6
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SLP Mouth Coaching
After any wrong attempt, a structured coaching card appears with: exact mouth position, child-friendly cue ("put your tongue behind your top teeth like a snake"), and a "sounds like" reference. Based on real SLP placement protocols for all 22 phonemes.
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Articulation Drill Levels
Six SLP-validated levels: Isolation → Syllable → Word → Phrase → Sentence → Conversation. The app advances your child automatically as they hit 5 correct in a row — exactly how real speech therapy progression works.
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SODA Error Classification
The same error taxonomy used by certified SLPs: Substitution, Omission, Distortion, Addition. The app classifies every mispronunciation and adjusts coaching accordingly — not just "wrong" or "right".
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Age-Calibrated Targets
Developmentally appropriate targets for toddlers (2–4), preschoolers (4–6), and school-age children (6–12). The app knows which sounds should be mastered by which age and prioritises accordingly.
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Stella & XP Rewards
Stella the Star mascot reacts to every attempt — celebrating streaks, encouraging after misses, and animating with confetti bursts on milestones. XP tracking, 7-day streaks, and achievement badges make practice a daily habit kids want.
Who SpeechStars Helps
Built for every child's speech journey.
SpeechStars supports children across a wide range of speech and language challenges — from mild articulation delays to complex communication disorders.
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Lisp (/s/ and /z/ sounds)
Targeted /s/ and /z/ drills with placement cues like "tongue behind teeth, not between teeth." Most common articulation disorder in children.
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R-Disorder (Rhotacism)
/r/ is notoriously difficult. SpeechStars isolates initial, medial, and final /r/ positions with progressive vowel-/r/ combinations (er, ar, or, air).
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Speech Delay
Children whose speech is behind age expectations. Age-calibrated targets ensure practice is always matched to where your child should be developmentally.
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Autism Spectrum
Clear visual cues, consistent routines, and structured sessions work well for children on the autism spectrum working on speech communication goals.
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Stuttering & Fluency
Slow, modeled pronunciation with "hear it slowly" TTS. Sentence-level practice at measured pace. Reduces pressure with clear visual feedback.
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Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
The isolation→syllable→word progression mirrors the intensive motor practice approach recommended for apraxia. Visual placement coaching reinforces motor planning.
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Expressive Language Delay
Builds vocabulary and phoneme production simultaneously. 500+ illustrated words span toddler to school-age vocabulary ranges.
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Post-Surgery Recovery
Structured daily practice for children recovering from tongue-tie release, palate surgery, or other procedures affecting speech.
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General Articulation
Any child working on clearer speech. Covers /s/, /r/, /l/, /th/, /k/, /g/, /f/, /v/, /sh/, /ch/, /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, and more.
How It Works
5 minutes a day. Real speech improvement.
SpeechStars follows the same evidence-based articulation therapy protocol used by certified SLPs — just adapted for daily home practice.
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Set Up Your Child's Profile
Enter your child's age and target speech sounds. SpeechStars builds a personalised practice plan using developmentally appropriate phoneme targets — starting at the right level, not too easy and not too hard.
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Daily Guided Practice Sessions
Each day, the app presents a 5–15 minute session. Your child says words into the mic, sees real-time transcript feedback, and gets SLP-designed mouth coaching whenever needed. The level advances automatically as skills improve.
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Track Progress & Share with Therapists
View accuracy trends, session history, and phoneme-by-phoneme progress. SpeechStars complements — never replaces — your child's SLP sessions. Share progress to show your therapist exactly what your child has been practising.
Family Reviews
Trusted by parents working on speech every day.
★★★★★
"My 5-year-old has a lisp and absolutely loves the star mascot. We do 10 minutes every night before bed. After 3 weeks her /s/ sound is already so much clearer. The mouth coaching diagrams are brilliant."
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Sarah M.
Parent of 5-year-old with lisp
★★★★★
"Finally an app that actually listens properly! The live transcript shows my son exactly what it heard. He gets so excited when he sees his word appear on screen correctly. Best speech practice tool we've tried."
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James T.
Parent of 7-year-old with speech delay
★★★★★
"As an SLP I've tried every speech app out there. SpeechStars is the first one that actually follows proper articulation therapy hierarchy. The SODA error classification is impressive. Recommending to my clients' families."
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Dr. Rachel K., MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
★★★★★
"My son has apraxia and we do SpeechStars every evening after school. The step-by-step mouth placement coaching is exactly what he needs between his weekly SLP appointments. His therapist has noticed real improvement."
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Michelle R.
Parent of 8-year-old with apraxia
★★★★★
"We're spending $200/session on speech therapy and needed a way to practice daily. SpeechStars fills that gap perfectly. My daughter asks to do it — it doesn't feel like therapy to her, it feels like a game."
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David L.
Parent of 6-year-old with articulation delay
★★★★★
"My 3-year-old is non-verbal autistic and we use SpeechStars for phoneme imitation practice. The visual feedback and consistent routine have been so helpful. Highly recommend for autism families working on early speech sounds."
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Priya K.
Parent of 3-year-old on the autism spectrum
For Parents
Your child's speech therapy partner at home.
SpeechStars is built to complement professional speech therapy — giving children the daily practice time they need between clinic sessions, in a way that's safe, effective, and genuinely enjoyable.
A note for families: SpeechStars is a practice support tool and is not a replacement for a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). For children with significant speech disorders, we strongly recommend working alongside a certified therapist for comprehensive diagnosis and treatment.
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Session History & Accuracy Trends
Review which sounds are improving, where more focus is needed, and how the streak is building — in clear, parent-friendly language.
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Privacy-First Design
No audio is ever recorded or stored. All speech recognition happens on-device using Apple's SFSpeechRecognizer. No ads. No in-app purchases. COPPA conscious.
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Short, Focused Sessions
5–15 minute sessions match young children's attention spans. Consistent short practice outperforms occasional long sessions — this is what the research says.
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Works Offline
Core articulation practice works without an internet connection. Great for car rides, waiting rooms, or anywhere connectivity is unreliable.
FAQ
Common questions about SpeechStars
SpeechStars uses real SLP-designed articulation protocols — the same Isolation → Syllable → Word → Phrase → Sentence hierarchy used in certified speech therapy. It uses Apple's on-device speech recognition for real-time feedback and SODA error classification (Substitution, Omission, Distortion, Addition). It is a serious practice tool designed with clinicians, though it is a supplement to — not a replacement for — working with a licensed SLP.
SpeechStars supports children ages 2–12. The app has separate age-calibrated tracks: Toddler (2–4 years), Preschool (4–6 years), and School-Age (6–12 years). Each track has developmentally appropriate vocabulary, session lengths, and phoneme targets based on what sounds are expected to be mastered at each age.
Yes. SpeechStars is helpful for: lisp (/s/ and /z/ sounds), R-disorder (rhotacism), speech delay, phonological disorders, expressive language delays, stuttering and fluency challenges, childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), autism spectrum communication goals, and post-surgery speech recovery. The isolation-level drills and visual placement coaching are especially beneficial for motor planning challenges like apraxia.
SpeechStars uses Apple's SFSpeechRecognizer for on-device speech-to-text, combined with phoneme-level Levenshtein distance scoring. A live transcript strip shows exactly what the recognizer heard in real time. The app then compares the heard phonemes against the target phonemes and classifies errors using the SODA taxonomy — the same approach used by SLPs in clinical assessments.
SpeechStars is completely free to download on the App Store. All core articulation practice, all 22+ phoneme drills, progress tracking, and coaching features are included at no cost. There are no ads and no in-app purchases for content.
No audio is ever recorded or stored. SpeechStars processes speech entirely on-device using Apple's built-in SFSpeechRecognizer and AVAudioEngine. Audio buffers are used only for real-time scoring and are immediately discarded. No audio reaches any server. The app is designed with COPPA principles in mind for children's privacy.
No — and we're upfront about that. SpeechStars is a daily practice supplement, not a replacement for a licensed SLP. A certified speech-language pathologist provides diagnosis, comprehensive treatment planning, and expert guidance that an app cannot replicate. What SpeechStars does is give your child the daily repetition practice that research shows is essential for speech sound acquisition — so that every session with your SLP is as productive as possible. If your child has not yet seen an SLP, we encourage you to seek a formal evaluation, especially for children under age 5.
Yes, with parent involvement. SpeechStars has a Toddler track (ages 2–4) with simpler vocabulary, shorter sessions (5 minutes), and age-appropriate phoneme targets — only sounds expected to be mastered between ages 2 and 4. At this age, a parent sitting with the child and guiding each attempt makes the biggest difference. The app is designed to be a shared parent-child activity, not a solo screen-time tool for very young children.
SpeechStars covers 22+ English phonemes: /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/, /j/, /th/ (voiced and voiceless), /l/, /r/, /w/, /h/, and vowel-/r/ blends (er, ar, or, air, ear). Each phoneme has word-initial, medial, and final position drills. The app follows ASHA developmental norms to sequence which sounds are practiced first based on your child's age.
Yes. SpeechStars is a universal iOS app that runs on both iPhone and iPad. The larger iPad screen gives children more visual space for the word cards, mouth coaching diagrams, and live transcript strip. Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
Most speech apps for kids are digital flashcards — they show a picture, play a word, and ask you to tap. SpeechStars is different in three ways: (1) Live speech recognition — the app actually hears your child speak and gives real-time feedback via a live transcript strip; (2) Phoneme-level scoring — it classifies errors as substitution, omission, distortion, or addition, the same way a real SLP would; (3) SLP-designed progression — six articulation levels (Isolation → Syllable → Word → Phrase → Sentence → Conversation) that mirror real clinical therapy hierarchy, advancing automatically as your child improves.
Give your child the confidence to speak clearly.
SpeechStars is free to download. Start building daily speech practice habits today. Designed by SLPs. Loved by kids. Trusted by families.