A language learning website is a platform that is available online providing resources as well as tools so that individuals learn new languages. A language learning website has exercises, lessons, and activities for users to practice listening, reading, and writing.

A language learning website has 4 main benefits.

  1. Flexibility and convenience as users are able to learn at their pace and do not feel the pressure of physical attendance as is the case with learning offline.
  2. Provides access to multiple resources, from traditional learning through mock conversations, to visual learning from flashcards and auditory inputs from podcasts.
  3. Interactive learning is possible through gamification, which makes the learning process entertaining instead of tedious.
  4. Feedback and progress tracking are provided so that users can improve their current performance while being motivated by their progress.

Geekflare team has compiled a list of the best language learning websites based on features like visual learning, linguistics, speech recognition, and language-based games.

Mondly

Best for Gamifying Language Learning

Mondly is a language learning tool that focuses on improving language fluency through fun. This helps to remove performance pressure on users when they are learning a new language. It uses visual learning as its teaching method. The lessons use a similar game-like method where you progress by answering a question related to a language. The questions are related to translating sentences to your native language, learning to pronounce words, forming sentences, and more.

Mondly

The best part about Mondly is its diverse curriculum that includes various learning methods. Users get to do weekly and monthly quizzes for better assessment of their learning. 

Mondly is not a free platform and requires you to purchase its paid packages to continue learning. You can access some of its features in the trial version, but the feature set is minimal.

Mondly Pros

  • Advantage

    Is less expensive as compared to other language learning websites.

  • Advantage

    Focuses on vocabulary that users would use in real-life experiences.

  • Advantage

    A gamified learning experience.

Mondly Cons

  • Advantage

    Advanced language learning is not covered.

  • Advantage

    Speaking and grammar skills are not given much priority.

Mondly Pricing

Mondly offers the following pricing plans:

  • Learn 1 language per month at $9.99.
  • Learn 1 language for 12 months at $47.99 per year.
  • Learn up to 41 languages with lifetime access for a $99.99 one-time payment.

Duolingo

Best to Learn from Mobile

Duolingo has an entertaining and interactive interface with gamification features that easily engage users. Reading blends in with listening exercises, and if the user cannot do the listening exercises, they can be postponed. Its leaderboards and map, along with daily quests, are another plus apart from accessibility.

Duolingo

Duolingo provides users with options to learn 35 of the most common languages around the globe, like English, Spanish, German, and more. The platform first asks you your expertise level in a language; beginner or advanced. The beginner course starts instantly, but you have to undergo a test to activate the advanced language learning course.

Duolingo is completely free with no locked features so that everyone can enjoy the platform, but it comes with ads on its free version. You can permanently remove the ads by paying for their premium membership. There are podcasts provided so that users are able to polish their language skills.

Duolingo Pros

  • Advantage

    Fun learning experience using gamification strategies.

  • Advantage

    Accessible on iOS, Android, and the web.

  • Advantage

    Short lessons for the duration of 5 to 10 minutes.

Duolingo Cons

  • Advantage

    Reading and writing are the main focus.

  • Advantage

    Grammar lessons are limited, and the vocabulary is too extensive.

Duolingo Pricing

Duolingo is free, but it comes with ads and limited features. Superlingo is ad-free and comes with a 2-week free trial. 

  • Super plan — 2 weeks free, then from $7 per month.
  • Super Family — 2 weeks free, then from $10 per month.

Pimsleur

Best for Improving Speaking & Listening

Pimsleur is a platform that allows users to learn linguistics by conversing and performing 30 minutes of language exercises daily. These mini-lectures are accessible via Alexa and set at the user’s own pace. To keep up with the motivation levels, skill badges are provided so that users can practice popular words.

Pimsleur

With Pimsleur, you can master up to 51 different languages with a promise to learn a new language within 30 days with a near-native accent. Users are exposed to the language for 30 minutes a day in the form of everyday situations within which they are to interact. 

Pimsleur’s thrust is on familiarization with the sounds of a language. Through this sound-based learning, individuals do not have to rely on memorized learning as it is taken up at a more intuitive level.

Pimsleur Pros

  • Advantage

    Provides a voice coach to test accuracy through Speech Recognition.

  • Advantage

    Learners can study at their pace and can jump to or go back to lessons.

  • Advantage

    Has varying methods of learning, from flash cards to quizzes and speed roundups.

Pimsleur Cons

  • Advantage

    Limited focus on reading.

  • Advantage

    Solely audio-based, making it difficult for visual learners.

Pimsleur Pricing

Pimsleur provides a 7-day trial after which users are provided a Pay-As-You-Go subscription offer at $14.95 per month.

Babbel

Best for  Conversation-Focused Lessons

Babbel provides language learners with 40 hours of live classes ranging from the ‘Newcomer’ level to ‘Advanced’. It is less inclusive in language options as it provides language training in Spanish, German, French, and Italian. These classes feature certified trainers and so provide learners with a classroom environment from the comfort of their home, as they are video classes.

Babbel

The best part about Babbel is that users are allowed to choose how much time they can commit to their lessons. Based on their learning styles, learners can decide to take lessons from other students or take single lessons as they prefer. 

Babbel’s free trial gives you a taste of the course and the application UI but locks the essential features. You need to purchase a paid program to unlock all the lectures and tests on the application.

Babbel Pros

  • Advantage

    Users are provided an option to practice speaking with Babbel’s certified trainers.

  • Advantage

    App-based exercises are provided apart from one-to-one or group classes.

  • Advantage

    For more cultural acclimation, podcasts, and videos are provided.

Babbel Cons

  • Advantage

    The user interface is difficult to navigate.

  • Advantage

    Content might not be sufficient for some languages.

Babbel Pricing

Babbel has three pricing plans as follows, each provides access to all the languages it offers.

  • 6 months at $13.45 per month.
  • 12 months at $8.95 per month.
  • Lifetime access at $299 one-time payment.

Busuu

Best to Learn from Native Speakers

Busuu focuses on listening and speaking through its speech recognition tool. It offers language learners 14 different languages to learn from. On completion of a level, a badge for checkpoint completion and stars with a score are provided.

Busuu

Busuu complies with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and lets you choose your desired proficiency level accordingly. You can opt for A1 (Beginner), A2 (Elementary), B1 (Intermediate), or B4 (Upper Intermediate).

Busuu provides users with flashcards that help them learn a language for their everyday interactions. The flashcards are interactive, providing a word prompt, voice, and video.

Busuu Pros

  • Advantage

    Allows personalized language goals.

  • Advantage

    Provides AI-based reviews of grammar.

  • Advantage

    Certification is given to users.

Busuu Cons

  • Advantage

    Offers limited language selection.

  • Advantage

    The content is less entertaining than most platforms.

Busuu Pricing

Busuu has 3 pricing plans with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

  • 1 month at $13.90 per month.
  • 6 months at $8.45 per month.
  • 12 months at $6.95 per month.

Rosetta Stone

Best for School and Individual

Rosetta Stone allows learners to learn 25 languages. Users are provided with deductive reasoning-based problems across Rosetta Stone that help enhance their speaking, listening, and reading skills.

Rosetta-Stone

The Rosetta Stone UI is reasonably straightforward, making it easy to use for a tech novice. From the settings section, you can easily toggle the microphone, speech, pronunciation, and other settings. The dashboard on this platform includes the languages you are learning, their progress, and the lessons in the curriculum. You can skip or redo a lesson according to your preference.

The Rosetta Stone provides users with lectures, live lessons, private sessions, and webinar-style live instructors for one-to-one learning. Some courses are available as CDs or offline downloads in their paid plan.

Rosetta Stone Pros

  • Advantage

    25-minute live sessions with tutors.

  • Advantage

    Content created by professional linguistics.

  • Advantage

    Provides speech recognition technology.

Rosetta Stone Cons

  • Advantage

    Does not provide any certification or learning credits.

  • Advantage

    Lesson reminders are not provided.

Rosetta Stone Pricing

Rosetta Stone has three subscription plans for individuals, while for the enterprise version, one needs to contact their sales team.

  • 3 months for a single language at $15.99 per month.
  • 12 months for a single language at $13.99 per month.
  • Lifetime subscription for unlimited languages at $399 one-time payment.

Fluent in 3 Months

Best for Rapid Fluency Goals

Fluent in three months is for learners who prefer the conventional way of learning. The platform teaches a new language through recorded lectures in its three-month-long course, with the thrust being on communication.

Fluent-in-3-months

The course contains ten modules with recorded lectures from the language experts at Fluent in 3 Months. One of its best aspects is its ‘Conversation Connectors, ‘ which are effective for immediate conversation.

Fluent in 3 Months wants the learner to enjoy the process of learning a new language through motivation and daily engagement with the language. Through such daily practice, a user would be able to naturally pick up a language without having to learn it the old-school way. 

Fluent in 3 Months Pros

  • Advantage

    Learning the American Sign Language is made possible.

  • Advantage

    Provides a lot of language hacks and tips.

  • Advantage

    Has a collection of resources for users.

Fluent in 3 Months Cons

  • Advantage

    There is no set learning structure.

  • Advantage

    Does not have grammar or vocabulary lessons provided.

Fluent in 3 Months Pricing

Fluent in 3 Months pricing varies as there are several courses provided to suit users’ needs, from the 60-minute language learner at $47 to the Fluent in 3 Months all-access webinar pass at $299. The Fluent in 3 Months premium versions cost $97 plus tax and is a one-time payment. It provides free email courses and other bonuses.

All Language Resources

Best to Find Language Learning Materials

ALR (All Language Resources) is a collection of resources for all major languages. The website is relatively straightforward, with many language resources and reviews of popular applications to help you find your ideal language solution.

All-Language-Resources

ALR has a YouTube channel that constantly updates you with valuable resources for learning a language. The channel also features tons of in-depth application reviews and comparison videos. You are provided with resources in Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, and many more.

All Language Resources Pros

  • Advantage

    Provides reviews of language resources.

  • Advantage

    Has a YouTube channel for users who want to access more content.

All Language Resources Cons

  • Advantage

    Provides resources for language learning but does not offer a structured course.

  • Advantage

    The learner needs to decide what resource will benefit them, which is difficult for a beginner.

All Language Resources Pricing

ALR offers language learning discounts for learners who are interested in learning languages on other platforms, such as Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. 

ALR and their curated courses are entirely free, and they earn through their Affiliate program.

Mezzofanti Guild

Best to Learn Arabic and European Languages

The Mezzofanti Guild is a compilation of popular resources you need to learn a new language. You can find resources regarding Arabic, German, Spanish, Japanese, Hindi, and many more. The popular resource compiler platform has featured in BBC, Business Insider, Esquire, and many more prestigious media.

MezzofantiGuild

The How-To section of Mezzofanti Guild gets constantly updated with crucial concepts regarding various languages. They also feature several reviews for popular applications like Duolingo, Mondly, Rosetta Stones, and more. You can join their newsletter to stay updated with the how-tos and reviews they post on their platform.

Mezzofanti Guild Pros

  • Advantage

    Provides reviews so users are better able to choose language applications.

  • Advantage

    Podcasts are provided for exposure to listening to a langauge.

Mezzofanti Guild Cons

  • Advantage

    Limited languages.

  • Advantage

    Diverse collection of resources from tools to blogs and podcasts.

  • Advantage

    It would be difficult for a new learner to know which resource to start with.

Mezzofanti Guild Pricing

Mezzofanti Guild does not provide a pricing plan, as it provides resources and reviews of other language learning applications.

Learn with Oliver

Best to Learn Chinese and English

Learn with Oliver is a simple platform that features a plethora of resources under one roof. Teaching on Learn with Oliver is done through flashcards that contain images with dialogues, eventually telling you small stories. The conversations get recorded using native speakers so that the accent remains authentic across your learning journey.

Learn-with-Oliver

Learn with Oliver’s flashcards do not follow a linear learning curve; instead, they seem random at some times. You also get many quizzes and tests that contain fill-in-the-blanks, listening, writing, and MCQ-type questions.

The Learn with Oliver platform is excellent for beginners searching for a tool to learn the basics of a language. You can choose between popular languages like Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, Russian, and many more. There are different courses for English that are tailor-made for a particular ethnicity; English for Russians, English for Thai, English for French, and more.

Learn with Oliver Pros

  • Advantage

    Makes learning easier through repetition.

  • Advantage

    Provides grammar and vocabulary practice.

  • Advantage

    The free version offers users a gist of what they are getting.

Learn with Oliver Cons

  • Advantage

    It is not a language course but a tool.

  • Advantage

    The flashcards do not have pictures.

Learn with Oliver Pricing

Learn with Oliver’s pricing plan features a free version, which is a basic account. Its premium account costs $10 per month and provides customizations like additional notes to flashcards and self added vocabulary words.

Loecsen

Best for Interactive Lessons

Loecsen offers interactive lessons and high-quality audio recordings to teach you new languages. The platform currently features more than 40 languages with a varied curriculum. Loecsen is not the one-stop solution to learning a language entirely; instead, it teaches you useful phrases in daily conversations.

Loecsen

Loecsen is good for you to learn some useful phrases and their pronunciations using native audio. You should consider other options, especially if you want to learn a language deeply.

Loecsen Pros

  • Advantage

    Helps in improving pronunciation.

  • Advantage

    Has a user-friendly layout.

  • Advantage

    There are many languages covered.

Loecsen Cons

  • Advantage

    Sometimes there might be problems in accessing the website.

  • Advantage

    Users need to navigate their own learning path.

Loecsen Pricing

Loecsen is free of charge when it comes to pricing.

What are the Benefits of Multilingualism?

There are 3 main benefits of multilingualism, which are as follows:

  1. Improving Cognitive Function: By speaking multiple languages, cognitive flexibility is improved and so are memory and problem-solving skills. There is mental effort which is required for switching from one language to another, and processing the grammatical structures helps to improve the cognitive function.
  2. Boosting Memory: Memory function requires the brain to be able to juggle vocabulary and grammar rules, especially the multiple sets that are a part of multiple language learning. Due to the switching between languages, the memory pathways are improved, which in turn improves the recall capacity.
  3. Enhancing Cultural Understanding: By being able to communicate, there is more cultural and cross-cultural exchange possible. Being better able to understand traditions and customs from first-hand encounters promotes empathy and understanding.

What are the Other Ways to Learn a New Language?

Here are 3 other ways to learn a new language:

  1. Podcasts: Listening comprehension is essential to become fluent in a language. With everyone being so busy, podcasts are a way to improve listening while multitasking. The “Coffee Break Spanish” podcast is an interesting example, in which listeners are treated to daily lessons on various topics that are short and yet vocabulary-rich.
  2. Audiobooks: Audiobooks in one’s target language are another way to meet your reading goals while improving listening and vocabulary. If you feel you aren’t up to doing an entirely new book, you could pick one you have already read or a simple children’s classic like “The Little Prince” by the writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
  3. Watching regional movies: Movies and regional web series are another way to enjoy learning a new language through entertainment. Viewers watching dubbed or sub-titled shows get to experience pronunciation and natural speech patterns. Through a dubbed performance, you get a gist of what is going on while familiarizing yourself with the language. For example, if you are keen to learn German, you could watch “Schindler’s List” with subtitles in German.

More Resources for Learning