Best Apps and Websites to Learn a Language

Traveling abroad and looking to learn a new language before your trip? Check out these apps and websites making learning a language or even some key phrases a breeze.

Duolingo

This free website uses drills with a mix of reading, writing, listening and speaking to learn a new language. Points are awarded for lessons completed, with bonuses for doing well. Download the app for free and choose to receive daily reminders to study. Duolingo currently offers Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish and Turkish.

busuu

Join more than 40 million users on busuu. This service’s offerings range from beginner to advanced language comprehension lessons. The award-winning app offers lessons in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese and Polish.

byki

byki is a downloadable flashcard interface. Learn new words and phrases in more than 70 languages including Icelandic, Finnish, Tagalog, Armenian and Swahili. The express version is free to download or purchase the deluxe version for $69.95 and gain access to extra features including advanced pronunciation practice and language games.

Livemocha

Register for this free service and gain access to online language lessons and connect to native speakers. Millions of people in more than 190 countries are a part of the Livemocha community. Members assist each other through commenting on practice exercises and engaging in conversations via text or video chat. Thirty-five languages including Mandarin, Polish, Hebrew, Japanese, Arabic and Urdu are currently available.

Foreign Services Institute

The Foreign Services Institute features extensive audio and text courses designed by linguists for the U.S. government. The free lessons are organized around grammar and repetition. The website is a great resource for lesser-studied languages including Igbo, Serbo-Croatian, Sinhala, Shona and Lao.