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Duolingo

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We may receive referral compensation from some of the companies on our site. This compensation does not impact their reviews or rankings. Why you can trust us

We may receive referral compensation from some of the companies on our site. This compensation does not impact their reviews or rankings. Why you can trust us

Duolingo

Is This Your Business?

4.5

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449 User Reviews

4.5

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449 User Reviews

Author: Jenna Vasquez

LAST UPDATED: March 28th, 2022

Founded in 2011, Duolingo is a language-learning platform available online or via mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows. It offers more than 30 language courses for English speakers, including High Valyrian and Klingon, for fantasy enthusiasts. In one account, users can work on multiple languages and keep track of progress.

Duolingo is the most popular app for learning languages and is the most downloaded app in the world in the education category. The Duolingo method focuses on bite-sized short, gamified lessons, with exercises that build and adapt to what you need extra help with. One of the company's main tenets is to make free educational opportunities, so Duolingo is free. However, there are in-app upgrades to add extras, work offline, or get rid of ads.

An initial placement test is offered, if you are a continuing learner, so you will have an easier time jumping right in. Additionally, the platform offers Duolingo for Schools (still free), so that teachers can implement Duo's platform to track students' practice and progress.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.5

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449 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

59%

4 grade

31%

3 grade

9%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

0%

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KimDugan Kailua, HI

Duolingo makes the initial stages of learning a language easy and far less intimidating than many other approaches. Using a visual approach much like a simplified RosettaStone vibe, you can easily jump into almost any language. The biggest drawback with this approach is, if you plan long-term studies in a language, this should really be more of a supplement. It teaches you in a way that is good for beginners, because it is simpler and less discouraging than sitting for hours learning conjugation and sentence structure, but those building blocks are what will lead you to fluency in more cases. Duolingo does a great job of stair-stepping you into different categories of words and phrases, but if you are not already linguistically-inclined, this probably shouldn't be your bread-and-butter. Regardless, the app is easy to use and it makes language-learning far more fun and easygoing than many other approaches. It is broken down nicely so you can do it a few minutes per day and not feel cut short.

5 years ago

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Debora Paez Columbia, MO

Duolingo is a super encouraging company to learn a new language through. It has many ways of learning like pronunciation, matching vocabulary games, quiz yourself, and my all time favorite - the stories you can read in the language you're learning. My one complaint with Duolingo is that one cannot begin learning what you might want/find more useful at the time as the order in which you learn this is determined by them. Additionally, I am also not a fan of how you must continue to practice old stuff as you are learning the new things to keep the learning circles from cracking.

4 years ago

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Brody Livingston Springville, UT

I like how it works. It’s overall a nice teaching app, and I’ve learned a lot about Spanish and a little bit of Latin. The only reason I gave it a 4 star is because you only have five lives, and they take forever to recharge. And on top of that, they’re overall lives, so if you loose a few in one language then go to another, you only have a few lives left, and the only way to refill them instantly is with gems, but they’re hard to get, and to get a lot, you have to buy them with real money. I’ve never bought them but it’s offered it to me many times. Otherwise I really like the app, and use it frequently.

6 years ago

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Lauryn Pelch West Jordan, UT

I really like duolingo I recently started to learn spanish and this has helped me a lot. I like how it always reminds me of what I had learned the day before. A lot of the other apps were harder to use and I didn't understand. I definitely think that this is an easy way to learn and remember different languages,

4 years ago

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Abbey Cassibry Norcross, GA

Love this app! Just wish they brought back the virtual message feature. Also, if you truly want to learn a language, you will probably want more than this app. It doesn’t always explain why certain parts of a language are the way they are.

6 years ago

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Aurora Mcgee Riverton, UT

Duolingo is an amazing way to learn a language. It is super engaging and has fun challenges that motivate you to practice. However if you want to be able to have a conversation in a different I suggest using other apps with Duolingo, or watching YouTube videos too because Duolingo is good to help memorize things, but it doesn’t always tell you the most useful things for conversations.

4 years ago

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Charlotte P Herriman, UT

I started using Duolingo about 3 years ago to learn German. I have used it off and on during that time and have found that it has helped me learn some good phrases. I like that you can go back and review things that you have already learned. The platform is very user friendly and interactive. You can earn gems to open up new learning activates, you also earn badges which makes you feel like you are actually accomplishing your goals. It's a really great free app.

4 years ago

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Richard Cunningham Sandys Parish, SA

This is a great app for people wanting to learn a foreign language. I downloaded to learn Spanish and was hooked. It starts off easy and gradually builds. Its very addictive in a good way and by collecting badges keeps the user engaged. It did reach a point that I was only using so as to keep my 'streak' - and it also did get very difficult. I liked the stories and how you can see how your friends are doing too.

4 years ago

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The Bean Spiller Provo, UT

The look and function of this app is great. It makes it really accessible and easy to learn new languages and over the years it's gotten even better. However, the language you do learn isn't the most useful and it's really more of a foot-in-door approach to start learning the language outside of Duolingo. Best for familiarity rather than practicality.

5 years ago

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Taylor Larson Nakhon Sawan, 60

Duolingo is fun and you learn a lot but it would be really hard to get fluent from it. However, the test to check your level in the language is very accurate, which is nice so that you don't have to waste time on things you already know. It is definitely helpful, but more in terms of being able to read the language, rather than understanding people speak it.

5 years ago

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Jessica Chen Rockville, MD

I use Duolingo to improve my Spanish speaking and writing skills. Duolingo has constant notifications which encourages users to learn Spanish anywhere they want. Also it provides lots of tools and activities users can do to engage and keep them interested while learning Spanish. Using Duolingo, I learned more about the Spanish culture, food, and travel places.

5 years ago

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Ryan Harpenau Fayetteville, AR

I used Duolingo to supplement my Spanish courses and the app was very east to use and very helpful in learning the language. It starts off with simple topics and works you up to more advanced topics which is extremely helpful in learning a new language. I haven't used the app in a while so I am not sure what new updates they have, but it would be cool to be able to practice with an actual language instructor through the app.

5 years ago

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Rachel Logan, UT

What a great way to learn a new language! It does seem to be geared towards someone wanting to travel, as they typical teach you those kinds of phrases. But I love how they let you hear it aloud and say it. It does no good to memorize words and phrases if you don’t know how to pronounce them correctly! I used it to practice my Spanish and was impressed.

5 years ago

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Emily Norton Tucson, AZ

I’ve been learning Spanish on duo lingo and I feel like I’ve learned more in the last few months than I did in my two years of Spanish in high school. It’s easy to understand and you can go over whatever category you need as often as you’d like. The only reason I don’t give it five stars is because the ads are very frequent, though you can pay to get them removed, and you only have a certain amount of mistakes before you have to either wait for more tries or watch ads to get some. It is a free service though so it’s a fair trade off.

6 years ago

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Christina Bliss Lehi, UT

In my profession I work with a lot of Spanish speaking people. I started to use Duolingo to help me learn more Spanish. I like the fun way that the teach you. It keeps you engaged and you want to keep improving. They have a nice reward system in play. Although it is fun and engaging I think it would be very difficult to actually learn Spanish this way but it is a way to increase you word knowledge.

6 years ago

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Hailey Moody Austin, TX

Duolingo is a fun, easy app if you are looking for an introduction to a new language. It is easy to pick up and complete a few lessons in a short amount of time. I personally used this app for Russian and Spanish. I would not recommend using just this app for those who want a higher understanding of a language or aim to be conversational or fluent.

6 years ago

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Wendy Liu Bethesda, MD

I like the convenience and comprehensiveness of the service. It covers a lot of basic intro language based stuff in a fun, presentable way. There are a lot of languages to choose from. I personally love the exercises, although to note as well they can have a mild redundancy as sometimes the lesson keeps presenting the same thing from before. I would like to overall see a bit more diversity in this.

6 years ago

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Kylie Howes Provo, UT

Duolingo is an incredible free way to learn languages - if you're dedicated. In my experience, it's really easy to get excited to learn and start a program, but it's also really easy to be inconsistent and not get very far. If you're not one for repetition-based learning exercises, then Duolingo might not be for you. However, that's something that you'll find in pretty much all language learning programs, and Duolingo is free and very user-friendly so I would still recommend it for anyone hoping to try out a new language or trying to refresh their skills in a language they've already learned.

6 years ago

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Megan A McEvoy Tallahassee, FL

My best friend is Brazilian and her family took me to Brazil for a week over the summer. In preparation I used DuoLingo to learn some Portuguese, and it was very helpful! I was able to master all the basic commands before my trip and order my own food in a restaurant with minimal help from my friend’s family. The app was easy to use and accurate, and it made my experience in immersing in another culture so much better!

6 years ago

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Becca Amiot Salem, VA

Duolingo is great for getting down the basics of a language. I've used it to learn some Italian and to review German and found it extremely helpful. It is designed in a way that makes learning more fun and less bland.

5 years ago

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Sydney

Duolingo is a great app to keep up with a language. However sometimes I find it hard to use when I am trying to learn a new language. It is really helpful if you are learning the language somewhere else and want to practice vocab though. I also love their story section.

4 years ago

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HKorene Robinson Herriman, UT

I used Duolingo to learn some basic German. I felt that it did a pretty good job of teaching me real world language that I might actually use if I was talking to a person in a German speaking country. I also felt that it did a good job of reminding me to get on and practice.

4 years ago

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Kurt Didenhover Salt Lake City, UT

Duolingo is a great software platform to learn a new language or review one you've already learned. I learned German in high school and got to practice it during some time I lived in Austria. Afterward, I use Duolingo to keep my vocabulary and grammar skills sharp. Lessons were easy to follow and well thought out.

4 years ago

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Cole Haight South Jordan, UT

I really liked this company. They always reminded you to practice which was very helpful. It helped me learn Spanish. I was able to complete the lessons and it really helped me get the hang of things. I didn't really like the notifications because they were really big and in the way and I couldn't find a setting to change that.

4 years ago

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Taylor Jorgensen Herriman, UT

Duolingo is a great way to learn a new language or practice a second language. Teachers can use this website for their students. You will begin with some basic, easy conversations, and then you will advance to more complex conversations.

4 years ago

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Cael Thurgood Herriman, UT

I love how friendly that it is with its lovable Duolingo owl. It really is a great app, the only thing is, that it does not help you to become fluent. But you do get to learn along side you friends and compare your stats it honestly is a lot of fun!

4 years ago Edited January 21, 2022

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Morgan Elijah Tallahassee, FL

I really enjoy Duolingo one of my favorite things about the app is the reminders. Although they can be annoying they really helped to better my understanding of Spanish. I love that it is simple and I have the ability to incorporate it into my daily life.

4 years ago

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Mikayla Thompson Laramie, WY

I really like how the learning is set up for free, and that they've recently added more information on grammar in the lessons. I find it very frustrating that your mistakes limit the time you can spend learning. I am an educator and research shows that brain growth is highest when mistakes are embraced and learned from.

4 years ago

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Hailee Coleman Columbia, MO

I had to use Duolingo in a Spanish class. It made learning the nouns, verbs, and pronouns so much easier. It reminded me of flashcards kind of. The easiest part was the setup and then it made learning so much more simple. I haven't used it for learning other foreign languages, but it helped me pass Spanish class for sure!

4 years ago Edited November 8, 2021

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Ashley Nicole FL

I really liked the structure of the lessons. I actually enjoyed moving from module to module. Also, the celebration you get once you complete a module, makes you want to keep going. I was able to successfully brush up on my Spanish.

4 years ago

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Hillary Swensen Layton, UT

Duolingo is great for beginners! The stories are great for more advanced language learners. I do miss the old stories, though. It was fun to have a variety of characters. But that's not a huge deal. The actual app runs great!

5 years ago

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Brycen Blater Phoenix, AZ

I really like how Duolingo makes it possible to study a language and learn a little each day. For someone who doesn't have a lot of free time, Duolingo is the way to go. The only negative is that once you reach a certain level of fluency, Duolingo isn't a great way to review what you already know.

5 years ago

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Destini Ferguson Tallahassee, FL

I wish there was some fun games to play, but I am defiantly learning! There are a couple of languages on the App. The vocabulary is also very extensive. My favorite thing is that Duolingo sends reminders so that you stay on top of your studies.

5 years ago

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Lisa C Johnson Windsor Mill, MD

I have only used it twice. I havent figured out how to get back to the previous lession because I want to review. It seems simple to use. It does send you email reminders when its time for your next lession. I am learning alot. It is free. Thank you.

5 years ago

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Emily Wettstein Pleasant Grove, UT

Overall pretty good. Makes it fun to learn however seemed to be for people that already have a base in the language. It skipped over the alphabet and how to pronounce things and had you guess how to write sentences instead of teaching you how.

5 years ago

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Stephanie Bullough Bountiful, UT

I love how easy the program makes it to learn a new language and have used it for learning a few different ones! The only concern is it does become a little stale over time and I wish there was a bit more customization in what what would most help one depending on travel, business, or personal.

5 years ago

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Taylor Price Lehi, UT

Decent at teaching you the words and simple phrases of languages. You will be able to pick up the basics real quick. But while it teaches you specific phrases, it doesn’t provide a lot do creativity in your use of language.

6 years ago

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Karen Torino Tallahassee, FL

I used duolingo to learn Italian and honestly it is not a bad app if you want the basics. Duolingo is also constantly reminding you to get on the app and do the skills, which I suppose is a nice motivation. Overall, not a bad app

6 years ago

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jkenny90 Houston, TX

Duolingo offers a great way to start learning a new language. I like that it offers a variety of exercises to help reinforce what you've learned. Although I don't feel like the paid subscription offers enough to justify the price.

6 years ago

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Silvia Lobendahn Orem, UT

I started to use Duolingo last year to try to learn Italian. I loved getting through the levels and doing all of the mini lessons on using words. I haven't had much to time to get it lately, but have really enjoyed using the app that I can use to learn from anywhere.

6 years ago

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Tiana Moe Brooklyn, NY

It's not bad. It's not really a lesson--more like a set of quizzes that you have to learn from. And it gives you the barest bones of a vocabulary. It's a good practice tool, but if you actually want to learn a language, I recommend you go take a class.

6 years ago

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Bryndie Managua, MN

Fun way to learn a new language. Sometimes the sentences it has you learn don’t make any sense and aren’t applicable and the more advanced you get I think the less accurate what you’re learning becomes. Talking with a friend who was fluent in the language I was learning, they said their translations were incorrect

6 years ago

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Madelyn Norcross, GA

Duolingo is a great way to learn new languages. However, I feel as if an option to apply for a tutor or to be able to talk to someone that speaks the language you’re trying to learn. Also, it sends many notifications, sometimes even if they’re off.

6 years ago

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Nazjah Yates Jacksonville, FL

Duolingo has helped me to review some of my Spanish between my semester break of Spanish classes. The app allowed me to read, listen, and study vocabulary that I had forgotten or never heard before. I enjoyed the app but I felt they needed to allow the intermediate level to be more readily available when downloaded.

6 years ago

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Sarah Russie Clearfield, UT

A really fun and helpful app. Just give minutes a day can do a lot to help you learn a language. There are times I wish I had a better explanation for verb tenses and usages so I could grasp them better, but for an app, which can't replace a physical teacher, it is a really great learning tool. Highly recommended!

6 years ago

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Khori Howard Tallahassee, FL

I like DuoLingo because it is very easy to use. They have a lot of languages that you could learn. I am really only brushing up on my Spanish and they really take it step by step for what you're trying to learn and you learn the basics to be mroe conversational. Plus, it is free.

6 years ago

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Sarah Marfo Tallahassee, FL

Duolingo helped me pass my college spanish courses. Being a native Ghanian and being raised in America I only knew those two languages. When I signed up for my Spanish class i knew It would be difficult. I was advised to download this by my professor. Boy did it help. As I ended up with an A in the course.

6 years ago

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Kathryn Robinson Riverton, UT

My children are in Portuguese immersion program at school, so I downloaded the Duolingo app to try and learn some Portuguese myself. While it was fun to learn some words and phrases, I don’t see it possible to become fluent by utilizing this app.

6 years ago

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Miles Strother American Fork, UT

Duolingo is fun, simple, and it's free service is plenty good. I will say, however, that people who enjoy learning grammar and language rules might find Duolingo a little frustrating, because they simply teach you phrases and translations without understand why things are the way they are.

7 years ago

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Ad Pleasant Grove, UT

I do like that Duolingo makes it fun for me to learn Spanish. I'm glad I had some basic spanish knowledge prior to starting the app. My mom is a native Spanish speaker and I do find that some words that Duolingo uses are not the same that my mom uses.

7 years ago

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