ESL Blogs

It is an undisputed fact, that English is the most spoken language worldwide. Learning English is key to effective communication when you travel to foreign English speaking countries like the US. In fact, you cannot get a visa or vote if you cannot speak English in the US. Now, you do not have to enroll in a class to learn English? Do you have a smartphone? Here are the 10 best apps that you can use to learn English.

1. Duolingo

This is one of the best language learning apps of all time. It features over 20 languages. You can start as a beginner or if you already familiar with the language, you take a placement test. Lessons are structured as skill trees with points awarded for completing lessons, achievements for tracking your progress and a lives system that encourages you to answer questions correctly. At the end of each lesson there are exercises that you must complete to move to the next level.

Pros:

• It is fun as lessons are set like games.
• You can track your progress
• It is free for Android and iOS.
• The app is constantly updated and more languages are added.

2. Memrise

offers a variety of courses; free on Android and iOS. It is a crowd sourced learning program as the courses are constructed by members of the Memrise community. This way, you learn what other people are also learning. The app integrates with your memrise.com account but also has an offline account.

Pros:

• You can track your progress
• It has an offline mode which means you can learn even without an internet connection.
• Teachers can use it to create learning materials and manage learning groups.
• It is a great app for tourists and enables you to learn about a country before you visit it.

3. Busuu

offers comprehensive vocabulary, dialogue and interactive tests, unlike the other apps. It is based on the CEFR language framework. Each lesson has a key vocabulary, lesson dialogue, recording session, writing practice session, lesson review and a chance to practice with other native English speakers.  It has 150 topics of learning, but only 20 are available for free.

Pros;

• You have an opportunity to interact with native English speakers and practice speaking with them.
• It is a balanced way of learning English as it incorporates reading, writing, speaking and listening.

4. Lingua.Ly

Lingua.Ly language learning app that tries to turn web content into language learning opportunities. It recommends texts to you based on the vocabulary tests and your interests. This means that your learning is not limited to what has been written specifically for other learners only.

Pros:

• It is free for Android
• You can add more words with the help of a dictionary
• You can create flashcards in audio and image form.

5. Rosetta Stone

This is one app that allows you to practice reading, writing, vocabulary and speech recognition. Since it doesn’t have foreign translation, you learn English without solely relying on your native language. A series of photos are presented on the screen, and you select the one that matches the sentence. Similar to online writing services such as Papers Board that seek to help you with your writing paper, the app includes audios that helps you learn the sounds and pronunciation while building your listening skills at the same time. As you progress, so does the difficulty.

Pros:

• Available on Android and iOS.
• It is an immersive learning method.

6. Learn English Grammar

This is an interactive app designed by the British Council to help improve your grammar. It features both the UK and US English. It has four levels from the Beginner to Advanced. Each difficulty has 12 grammar topics with 20 activities in each topic.

Pros:

• Available for both Android and iOS.
• Interactive practice activities to help you learn.
• In-app help that demonstrates how to go about questions.

7. Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge

The Johnny Grammar's Word Challenge is a fun app that tests spelling, grammar and vocabulary in a quiz like setting. There are three difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard. You have to solve as many questions as possible within 60 seconds.

Pros:

• There are 10 topics to practice vocabulary.
• Compete with other learners on a global leader-board.
• You get feedback on wrong answers and learn how to improve them.
• Available on both Android and iOS.

8. SpeakingPal English Tutor

The SpeakingPal English Tutor is an interactive app designed to improve your English by using your smartphone’s voice-recognition technology to simulate a voice call with a native English speaker. This will aid your listening skills, spoken English and pronunciation. There are over 100 levels, but only 16 are available for free.

Pros:

• Available on Android and iOS.
• You can track your progress.
• There are quizzes to test your English comprehension.

9. MyWordBook 2

MyWordBook2 is an interactive vocabulary notebook app that helps you learn English words through flashcards that contain pictures, sounds and sentences that help you remember these words. All the word data are sourced from Cambridge University Press’ learner dictionaries.

Pros:

• Available on Android and iOS.
• You can choose a topic and learn words related to it.
• You are able to create your own flashcards.
• You can quickly review words that you have learned and check their translations at the same time.

10. Fun Easy Learn English

Fun Easy Learn English is an app that contains more than 6,000 words in its database. The app gives you an opportunity to improve your vocabulary through illustrations, recorded pronunciations and native translations. It has three levels, beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced students.

Pros:

• It is absolutely free
• It does not require an internet connection to use.
• It has fun categories that make learning more fun and entertaining.
• It comprises of unique learning languages such as Match Words, Listen and Choose, that makes language learning more fun.

In conclusion, learning English does not need to be an expensive venture for you. Technology has made learning English cheap, fun, and what’s more? You are able to learn from anywhere, as long as you have your phone. Download these apps and try them out today.