Frequently Asked Questions

Imaginory is designed for children aged 8 to 14 — particularly children whose imagination has outpaced their reading level. Younger children can use it too, especially with a parent alongside them, and there's no upper age limit for anyone who loves storytelling.

This is exactly who Imaginory is for. Most reading resources are designed for young children learning to decode — they stop being useful around age 7 or 8. But some children reach 10, 11, 12 still working through the phonics phases, and there is almost nothing out there that meets them where they are without feeling babyish. Imaginory generates stories at your child's reading level, but the stories themselves know how old they are. The ideas, the characters, the jeopardy — all of it comes from your child. The phonics level just controls the vocabulary.

No. Deliberately not. Imaginory is phonics-aware, which means it uses the same understanding of how children learn to decode that underpins good classroom teaching. But it is not a reading scheme, a curriculum tool, or a replacement for school. There are no levels to complete, no certificates to earn, no sense that your child is being assessed. Your child writes stories about whatever they want. The phonics phase just makes sure the words are ones they can actually read. Learning to read happens by accident. That is the point.

No. Quill asks questions — who's the main character, where does the story happen, what goes wrong — and your child answers them. Those answers become the story. Quill organises the structure; your child provides everything that matters. They can then edit every word.

Each child profile has its own story settings. You set the phonics level to match where they are with reading, and the maturity level to match how old they actually are. So a 12-year-old reading at Phase 3 gets stories with pre-teen themes and moral complexity, written in words they can decode. You can also set story length, narrator style, topics to avoid, how much humour, whether endings are always happy, and whether to use British or American English.

Yes. Imaginory validates every story against specific word lists for each phonics phase before it reaches your child. If a word isn't on the list for their level, it doesn't appear. The one exception is vocabulary your child uses themselves when building the story — their words go in, because they already know them.

Stories are private by default. Nothing reaches the Global Library without you approving it first. The Approval Queue is also where you check for any personal information your child may have included before anything is published. There are no comments, no direct messaging, and no contact with other users. Your child's pen name is the only thing anyone outside your family ever sees.

Your parent dashboard gives you four things: Manage Writers (add children, set pen names, configure story settings), Story Library (read and download everything your children have written), Approval Queue (review stories before they're published or shared to the Global Library, and check for personal information), and Settings (account preferences, subscription, and deletion). Everything on the child side sits behind your account, keeping data collection to the absolute minimum.

dfX switches the platform to OpenDyslexic font with adjusted spacing, and enables text-to-speech so stories can be read aloud to your child, and speech-to-text so they can dictate rather than type. Toggle it on at the top of any page. Available on all plans.

Not at all. dfX is there for any child who finds reading easier with adjusted fonts and spacing, or who simply prefers to listen. Switch it on with the toggle at the top of any page and the story will be read aloud. Available on all plans.

You create a parent account first, then add child profiles. Each child gets a pen name of their choosing and a 4-digit PIN to log in. No email address required for children.

Each child needs their own profile, but they all sit under your parent account. Separate pen names, separate story libraries, separate PINs. Forever Free supports one child profile. Casual Writer adds a second. Committed Wordsmith supports up to four.

Stories are saved to your family library permanently. On paid plans you can download them as a portrait PDF, designed for home printing. A lot of families use Imaginory to create reading material for screen-free time — once it's printed, no screen required.

Imaginory works as a Progressive Web App, which means you can add it to your home screen and it behaves like an app without going through an app store. Step-by-step instructions for iPhone, Android, and desktop are on our Facebook page.

Quill is Imaginory's grey tabby cat and fiction guide. In real life his name is Pumpkin — a foster kitten who very nearly didn't make it. He guides children through writing fiction, asking questions about characters, settings, and plot until the story takes shape.

Professor Jeff is Imaginory's golden retriever, and he has been part of the family since our founder's daughter was very small. Where Quill guides children through fiction, Jeff takes them into non-fiction — reports, fact files, and explainers about whatever they're genuinely curious about. When your child starts a new story, they choose who they'd like to work with.

Ink is the tuxedo cat who appears when a story is ready to publish. In real life his name is Piglet, Pumpkin's foster sibling — another kitten who nearly didn't survive. Ink designs the cover. The story is your child's. The art is his.

Phonics levels describe how children learn to decode written words, following the UK Letters and Sounds programme. In your child's settings you can pick the level that matches where they are now. Imaginory will then make sure every story only uses words they can actually read.

Phase 2 — simple letter sounds (cat, dog, sit)
Phase 3 — remaining letters and digraphs like ch, sh, th (chip, ship, thin)
Phase 4 — consonant clusters (stop, jump, blend)
Phase 5 — alternative spellings and pronunciations (play, steak, tried)
Phase 6 — prefixes, suffixes, and longer words (unhappy, careful, jumping)

Not sure where to start? Phase 4 is a reasonable middle ground. You can change it any time in your child's settings.

British English by default — colour, mum, realise. You can switch to American English in your child's settings.

Forever Free gives you 5 stories per month, one child profile, all phonics phases, dfX mode, on-demand listening, and access to the Global Library to read other children's published stories. No payment details required to get started.

Yes. No contracts, no minimum term. Cancel any time and you keep access until the end of the billing period you've already paid for.

Yes. The Global Library is free on all plans. It's a growing collection of stories written by Imaginory children — and a few from our test accounts while we grow — browsable by phonics level, by favourites, or all at once. Your child can read any published story in the library whether or not they have generations left that month. If you'd like to keep writing too, upgrading to Casual Writer gives you 25 stories a month.