5 Best Language Learning Apps That Actually Work

I've tried countless apps, but only these helped me become fluent in a language.

Over the past years, I’ve downloaded countless language-learning apps to become fluent in a foreign language. After trying dozens of apps, I realized some were vital to becoming fluent, while others were not.

For example, I found that language course apps that try to cover everything, such as Babbel, Busuu, and Rosetta Stone, are not as useful as language apps that focus on improving a single language skill. For this reason, in this article, I’ll list 5 apps that excel at helping you develop 1 or 2 language skills, and I’ll also mention why I think they’re the best language-learning apps.

#1 Best App for Reading & Listening Skills: Beelinguapp

With Beelinguapp you can learn any of the 13 languages available by listening to audiobooks and music. Also, all their stories contain text in two languages, side by side, so you can listen to the story without getting lost.

Here’s a story written in both English and German with audio available.

Beelinguapp

Beelinguapp contains a catalog of fairy tales and stories on science & technology, mystery, news, and novels. On top of that, the app offers karaoke audio reading, so every sentence narrated will be highlighted in both languages.

Why do I consider this app great for language learning? I love this app because I like reading and listening to audiobooks. However, doing that in a foreign language might be challenging, so it’s better to start reading short stories with simple vocabulary, and this app helps you with that. Also, the audio available is narrated by a native speaker. This will help you get used to good pronunciation instead of guessing how a word is pronounced.

Once you have a higher level and feel confident to read in another language, try listening to audiobooks you’d listen to or read in your native language.

#2 Best App for Improving Writing Skills: LanguageTool

LanguageTool is like Grammarly, but it also works for multiple languages. This tool corrects your grammar in any text you write in Google Chrome. Once you install the extension, LanguageTool will highlight all the mistakes you make in your text.

Below is an example of a text written in Spanish.

LanguageTool

As you can see above, LanguageTool highlights typos, and spelling mistakes and gives style suggestions. You can correct those mistakes with one click; however, it’s important that you check the feedback on each correction to avoid making the same mistake next time.

Why do I consider this app great for language learning? Writing is an activity we do every day when chatting, writing emails, and posting something on social media. For this reason, writing represents a big opportunity to improve your language skills — especially when you are too shy to talk with natives. This is why every language learner needs a writing assistance tool that helps fix mistakes early on.