Common Sense Media Review
By Mieke VanderBorght
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Enjoyable drills thoroughly cover ABC basics, step by step.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read
Privacy Rating Pass
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
After parents agree to DUOLINGO ABC - LEARN TO READ's privacy policy and terms, provide their kid's name or nickname, enable speech recognition, and decide whether to provide an email address, they can hand over the game to their kids. Kids start by tapping on the first stop of many in a long line of games. They tap through a story about mad monkeys and then move on to the next games which introduce and build on the letter m. Activities include tracing the letter "m", what it sounds like, words that start with "m," the uppercase and lowercase versions, saying "m" words out loud, and so on. Kids must complete each successive game to unlock the next. With 127 units, kids learn each letter of the alphabet and practice tracing letters, reading, rhyming, and more.
Is It Any Good?
These colorful mini-games take kids on a logical journey towards learning how to read. Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read starts from the very beginning and slowly works its way through more complex concepts. Each step along the path is purposeful as new games review what's already been introduced and then builds further on those concepts. One downside, however, is that kids can't choose where to start on that path. That is, if kids come to Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read with some reading skills already, they'll have to slog through the early levels until they reach material that challenges them. Though the mini-games can sometimes feel like drills, kids interact in a variety of ways, from tapping through stories, to popping bubbles, to tracing letters or shapes, and more. That should be enough to keep them engaged. Even so, Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read may be best in small doses.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about kids' reading progress as they make their way through Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read. Ask kids to tell you what letters they've learned then see how many words you can come up with that begin with that letter. Or let them show off how well they can write new letters or words.
Give kids lots of experience with and exposure to written words and the sounds of language. Read books, signs, labels on food containers -- anything you set your eyes on. Sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, and emphasize the sounds in favorite and familiar words and names.
It can be hard to put down a game when you're having fun. Be clear with your kids about your family's screen time rules.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : reading
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : March 31, 2020
- Genre : Education
- Topics : Numbers and Letters
- Publisher : Duolingo
- Version : 1.0.9
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 11.0 or later
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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