All questions on this page are answered by the app developer (and my husband) Ryan Lintott.
What devices are supported?
The app is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 14.1 or later.
Why is the app free?
The app is free to reach a wider audience and introduce more people to Old English. If you enjoy the app you can always support via Patreon.
Will there be an Android version?
There are currently no plans to make an Android version. This is my first app and it’s built natively for iOS because I own an iPhone and I learned how to code for that platform. Building an Android version would involve re-writing the code in a language I haven’t yet learned on a device I don’t yet have. In other words, it’s a large investment of time and/or money that I’m not planning on just yet.
Why does the voice have an American accent?
To quote The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English, “Old English spans several centuries, and there are variations to its pronunciation across this period, not to mention differences in dialect.” Like the book, the pronunciations in the app represent one version.
Apple does not include an Old English voice so we had to modify an existing one. There were a number of regional options for English including UK, US, Australia, Ireland, India, and South Africa. We originally started with a UK voice but after many adjustments we were unable to get some of the sounds working properly. (The accent often omits the R sound in words like wordhord, for example.) We switched to a US voice and after many more adjustments we got something that was a good approximation.
Voice Not Found?
If you got this error it means you may not have the supported voice installed on your device. To add a voice, you can try the following:
- Go to your Home Screen
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Speech
- Under the Rotor Languages heading, Tap Add New Language…
- Tap English (US) to add the language
- Under the Rotor Languages heading, Tap English (US)
- Tap the download button next to Nicky
- Once installed you may need to restart the Old English Wordhord app.
Language/Pronunciation Error?
Version 1.1.0 or later: Audio pronunciations should play accurately regardless of your device language. If you get this error message, try restarting the app and please let me know via the twitter link below.
Version 1.0 – 1.0.3: Audio pronunciations will be inaccurate if your primary device language is not one of the following: en-US, en-CA, en-GB, en-AU, en-NZ, en-SG.
Loading… (forever)?
If you have an error where no words are loading please let me know via Twitter link below. I am still trying to reproduce and debug this error. Much appreciated if you send a DM with details about your device, iOS version, app version, internet connection (fast/slow, wifi/cellular), whether you have iCloud setup and the amount of iCloud space you have available. Thanks.
Can you add __________ to the app?
If you have any feature requests please let me know via the Twitter link below.
Can you improve the accessibility of the app?
I want to make the Wordhord app as accessible as possible but I know there is always room for improvement. If you have a specific request, please let me know via the Twitter link below.
What version is my app?
The version number is displayed at the bottom of the in-app settings.
- Open the Wordhord app
- Go to the Wordhord tab on the bottom left
- If the cover is open, drag the clasp down, tap the clasp, or double tap the Wordhord tab button to close it.
- Tap the Settings gear on the top left
- Scroll to the bottom to find the App Version
Old English Wordhord 