How to learn English at home, Brush up your English skills with Educational Apps

If you are a global citizen then language is a currency. It helps you connect, communicate, relate, assimilate and 'localize'. The need to learn new languages ​​is perhaps greater than ever before and more and more people have to live on foreign lands in search of better jobs and happier lives.

Possibly there has been a huge growth in language learning apps over the past few years. The likes of Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, Busuu, and others count the millions of users worldwide willing to brush up their language skills with a few taps on a smartphone.

In fact, smartphones have changed language learning at its core. Even teachers, translators and linguistic experts will pay attention to that. Today not only are foreign words more accessible, but the language app has also excluded tedium from learning and has made it a fun, engaging and playful activity. The mobile phone helps to create a multi-sensory experience that enhances the learning process.

Duolingo is one of the most popular free language learning apps in the world. It offers users set lessons in English along with tests, quizzes, games, visual cues, and real-time challenges to brush up their language skills.

Duolingo is focused on improving the user’s speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills, along with enhancing their English vocabulary and pronunciations. Its gamified structure is one of the top draws, making it an addictive experience for learners. 

Memrise lets users take video-based spoken English classes from native speakers of the language. The app focuses on vocabulary enhancement and allows learners to practise pronunciations by listening to them, self-recording them on the app, and comparing it with the original speaker’s version. 

Memrise houses more than 30,000 native speaker video clips, courses, and easy-to-use games to help users pick up real-life language skills. Additionally, the Memrise community counts more than 50 million language learners from across the world. The app has recorded more than 10 million downloads on Google Play Store. Users can also upgrade to a Memrise Pro Plan to get more out of their courses.

Hello, English is a homegrown language learning app developed by Jaipur-based startup CultureAlley. It offers an interactive, AI-powered, and voice-led solution for English learning and job-oriented communication skills. Top features include an Audio Dictionary with 10,000 English words, voice recognition-based Speech Learning, Practice Games for speaking, writing, and reading, in-app Chat Helpline, and English e-books, news articles, audio, and videos.

EnglishScore is offered by the British Council to help learners assess their “English level”. In just a year, the app crossed half a million downloads on Google Play Store. The app lets users take tests, participate in audio-based listening tasks, and check their English reading and writing skills.

EnglishScore also recommends courses that help users prepare for competitive English exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, etc. The results are offered instantly through a personalised dashboard. Learners can also avail of personalised coaching through the MyTutor feature. At the end of the course, users are given a certificate by the British Council that can be shared with employers.

Drops let users learn languages through illustrations. The app focuses on vocabulary training through simple, fast-paced games using mnemonic (a memory device that helps in information retention and retrieval) images. The seamless graphics and micro animations along with the pleasant in-app sounds suck help create an immersive learning experience. Drops can also distinguish between American English and British English. There are no words to be typed or commands to be fed in. A few taps and swipes are all it takes to navigate through it. 

Drops, which was recognised as Google Play Store’s Best App of 2018, has crossed over five million downloads and is one of the top-rated language learning apps. 

Busuu is an AI-led language learning app that lets users pick up English from native speakers. It focuses on grammar training and vocabulary and lets users choose from specialised courses and personalised study plans to fit their learning needs. The content is designed by experts; users can set their learning goals, as well as track progress and fluency on the app. 

Busuu also comes with an offline learning mode and provides McGraw Hill certificates to learners on course completion. Busuu was recognised as the Language Learning App of the Year in the 2020 Edtech Breakthrough Awards in July. It has over 10 million downloads on Google Play Store.