Duolingo

Duolingo turns language practice into short, game-like lessons of five to ten minutes. It is popular for building a daily habit and for learning basic vocabulary and sentence patterns.

What it is good for

• Building a streak and a regular study habit.
• Learning common words and simple sentences in many languages, including English.
• Practising reading, listening and speaking in small steps.

What it cannot do alone

An app cannot replace conversation with real people. If your goal is fluent speaking, combine daily lessons with reading, listening to audio and talking to someone, even for ten minutes a week.

Cost

The core app is free with ads, and a paid plan removes ads and adds extra features. Check the current plans on the store page. Students may also like the tools in our list of free tools for students.

In practice: A shop owner practises English words for ten minutes after dinner and then uses two of them with a customer the next day. That small real use is worth more than another week of streak points.

What we think

Duolingo is excellent for building the habit of daily practice and weak for building real conversation. Ten minutes a day will teach vocabulary and common sentence patterns, but fluency needs speaking with real people and listening to natural speech. Treat the streak as a tool for consistency, not a goal in itself.

Using Duolingo so the time is well spent

• Set a daily goal you can keep, even if it is only five minutes. A small habit beats a big plan that stops after a week.
• Say sentences out loud while you practise. The lessons help with recognition; speaking is what builds confidence.
• Keep a small notebook for new words and use two of them in a real sentence each day.
• Do not chase the streak at the cost of learning. A day you understand less is better than a day you tap through quickly.

Where to go next

For a month-long plan, see our 30-day spoken English plan. Use Google Translate to check words, and Khan Academy for school-level lessons.

Before you install: common doubts

Can I become fluent using only Duolingo?

Unlikely. Combine it with listening, reading and at least short weekly conversation.

Do I need the paid plan?

Start free. A paid plan removes ads and adds extras; decide after a few weeks of use.