How TWIYO works — games, communication board, phonetic pronunciation, and parent settings. In plain language, step by step.
Go to twiyo.app in Safari, Chrome, or another browser on your phone, tablet, or computer. On the homepage, choose the language at the top right (Dutch or English).
TWIYO is a web app (PWA). It feels like a real app without an app store: → iPhone/iPad: in Safari tap Share → Add to Home Screen. → Android: in Chrome open the menu (⋮) → Install app or Add to home screen.
Tap “Open app” on the homepage, or open your home screen icon. You arrive at the games hub where your child chooses what to do.
The word-image game (themes such as animals and food) is Premium — you can start with a free trial first. In the games hub tap a theme your child enjoys. Not every theme has to be visible — as a parent you can choose which categories your child sees (see “Categories for your child” in settings).
Each theme has two buttons (Premium): → “Learn”: calmly view all pictures and words; TWIYO speaks the word. → “Play”: a game — which picture matches the word you hear?
At the top you see your progress. TWIYO rotates words so the same word returns, but not always back-to-back. After a correct answer you sometimes get a short celebration (confetti). The house icon at the top left takes you back.
The word-image game (learn + play) is Premium — start 14 days free in the parent panel or on Subscribe. For a calm start: → Parent panel → Settings → Categories: Beginner preset (Animals + Food only) → Rounds per game: 5 (later 8–10) → Words use lowercase with school-style a and g (Andika reading font)
Open Animals → Learn and calmly browse the cards. Then Play with 5 rounds. Start with familiar words: dog, cat, cow, horse — then expand to elephant, bird, sheep, etc. Short sessions (4–6 words) work better than everything at once.
Same approach with Food & drinks. Practice first: apple, pear, bread, egg — then pizza, soup, biscuit. All built-in words in this category: apple, raspberry, pie, pizza, potato, biscuit, broccoli, bread, cucumber, cracker, pear, soup, salad, strawberry, tomato, egg.
Add personal words via Parent panel → Words & images (your photo, lowercase). For phase 1, up to five: → milk, water, banana, cheese (Food category) → pet name (Animals category) Optional: record the word + “Where is the …?” in your voice. Free tier has a word limit; Premium is unlimited.
In the games hub you also find “Letters” and “Counting games”. → Letters: recognize letters, hear sounds, and build words. → Counting games: how many are there?, pick the matching amount, or count along by tapping pictures.
The communication board is for when your child wants to “talk” with pictures. There are two modes: → “Quick tap”: each tile is spoken right away. → “Build sentence”: tiles go into a sentence at the top; tap the speaker to hear the full sentence. This is Premium — you can start a free trial first. Tile pronunciation: phonetic spelling you set → default app voice (built-in mp3 for standard tiles). See “Phonetic pronunciation” below.
With Premium you can also use the speller board (tap letters, then Speak) and view progress (what has been practiced?). Both are in the games hub. → The speller board defaults to lowercase (abc); top right, switch to uppercase (ABC) if needed. Some physical letter boards only use capitals — pick what fits your method.
In learn mode and during play your child hears the word or the “Where is the …?” prompt. Order: your recording first (if you made one), otherwise the built-in voice or text-to-speech. Turn sound off in the parent panel → Settings tab → Speech if you only want visual practice.
Parent panel (gear + PIN) → “Words & images” → + new word or tap an existing word. → Tap the image: take a photo, pick from your gallery, or search for an image (needs internet). → Pick a category — with Premium the word appears in the word-image game. Photos stay only on this device.
Open the word in the parent panel. Under “Audio recordings” you see two buttons: → The word itself — used in learn mode (“this is …”). → “Where is the …?” — used in the word game. Tap record, speak calmly and clearly, and stop. Play back to check. Your recording overrides the default voice.
With Premium you can link words and AAC tiles (one photo, one word): → Words & images → “Also on communication board (AAC)” + pick a tab. → Or on the AAC board: new tile with photo → “Also in word game” + pick a category. Edit linked words via Words & images; standalone AAC tiles via Edit on the board.
Sometimes the default voice mispronounces a word or name (e.g. “school” or “Jax”). You can type phonetic spelling for how it should sound. → Open the communication board → “Edit” + PIN → tap a tile (including tiles you just created). → In “NL pronunciation (phonetic)” and/or English, enter how it sounds, e.g. sgool or jax. The label on the tile (what your child reads) stays “school” or “Jax”. → The first time you play phonetic text needs internet (clear voice via the server); later it is often faster from cache. Without phonetic, TWIYO uses the built-in tile audio or app voice. → In the word game you can still record your own voice on a word — that applies there, not on linked AAC tiles.
In the app: tap the gear icon at the top right. Enter the parent PIN (default 1234 — change it right away). Without the PIN, your child cannot change settings.
In “Words & images” you see all custom words. You can edit, delete, or re-record them. Free: up to 25 words; Premium: unlimited.
Parent panel → Settings tab → Speech: turn sound on or off and adjust speech speed. TWIYO uses one consistent, child-friendly voice (Dutch or English, matching the app language) — there is no separate male/female/child picker. Your recordings on words in the word game always stay your voice; on AAC tiles you use phonetic pronunciation. Calm mode is under Accessibility: fewer animations and sound, helpful when overstimulated.
Use the language button (NL/EN) to switch between Dutch and English. Words and buttons adapt. You can do this on the website and in the app.
In the parent panel → “Settings” tab → “Categories for your child” you choose what your child sees. New installs start with Beginner. Pick a quick preset: → Beginner: Animals + Food (recommended start for the word-image game) → All: every word-game theme and AAC tab → Custom: turn each category on or off → Drag a row or use ↑ ↓ to change the order of tabs and categories.
Go to the communication board (Premium). Top right: tap “Edit” and enter your parent PIN (the same as in Settings). → First select the tab where the tile belongs (e.g. People, I want, Places). New tiles always go into the tab that is open. → In “Build sentence”: at the top under “Quick phrases” you can use + to add short phrases too. → Tap the + box at the bottom of the grid. Fill in Dutch and/or English, optional phonetic pronunciation (NL/EN), choose an emoji or photo (camera, gallery, online search or paste link), and confirm with “Add tile”. Optional: “Also in word game” (with a photo). → Tap an existing tile to change text, photo or phonetic pronunciation. Words linked from the word game are edited via Words & images. → Drag tiles to reorder. → Tap “Done” when finished — your child sees the normal board again. Missing a tab? Turn that category on first under “Categories for your child”.
Free: letters, counting games, managing words (up to 25 custom words with photos), and part of the settings. Premium: word-image game (learn + play), AAC, speller, progress, and unlimited custom words.
Start 14 days of free Premium in the parent panel or on Subscribe. Still unsure about AAC? Extend the trial once by 14 days. Then choose monthly or yearly via Stripe; cancel via “Manage subscription” (while signed in with your parent account).
Just paid or switching phones? In the parent panel → “Settings” tab → “Parent account”: enter your Stripe email, receive a code by email, and sign in. Premium is then linked to this device. → Also use “Restore subscription” (same email + code) if Premium is not visible yet — e.g. after paying in Safari on iPhone: always open TWIYO from your home screen icon, not only in the browser. → “Manage subscription” (Stripe) only works when signed in with the same email you used to pay.
Yes, mostly. Word-image game, built-in AAC audio, phonetic tiles (after the first time), and your recordings on words work offline after the first load. Premium checks online now and then whether your subscription is still active. Internet is needed for paying, image search, phonetic AAC (first time), and signing in with a code.
See the FAQ, terms, and privacy policy. Still stuck? Send a message via the contact page — we are happy to help.
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