Parents' Guide to Duolingo

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Chromebook Paid , Free Education
Duolingo Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Leslie Crenna By Leslie Crenna , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 11+

Plentiful, fun, fantastic, and free language lessons.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 11+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Duolingo: Learn Languages Free App: Screenshot #1
  • Duolingo: Learn Languages Free App: Screenshot #2
  • Duolingo: Learn Languages Free App: Screenshot #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 27 parent reviews

Parents say the app effectively makes language learning engaging and game-like, making it suitable for beginners and encouraging consistency through short lessons and rewards. However, many reviews note that while it builds foundational skills, it may not facilitate deeper understanding or conversational fluency, and some features have recently shifted towards a "pay-to-win" model that limits access to full resources.

  • engaging experience
  • suitable for beginners
  • consistency encouragement
  • lacks depth
  • pay-to-win issues
Summarized with AI
 

 

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age 8+

Based on 68 kid reviews

Kids say the app is fun and educational for learning languages, with many users reporting significant improvements in their language skills. However, there are concerns about inappropriate content, excessive notifications, and the limitations of language fluency that the app can provide without additional resources.

  • fun and educational
  • excessive notifications
  • inappropriate content
  • fluency limitations
  • user-friendly interface
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 68 kid reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What's It About?

DUOLINGO: LEARN LANGUAGES FREE packs lots of language learning into an easy-to-grasp mind-map layout. After email registration and a quick but detailed level selection, English-speaking kids can select from a list of languages -- including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, and French -- while speakers of these languages (plus Romanian, Turkish, and Polish) can select English (though instructions are still partially in English).

Lessons ask kids to type or select translations for missing words, select a picture to match a word, or listen and type translations. Themes cover basics, phrases, animals, transportation, sports, money, and much more. Feedback is immediate; kids will hear a happy "ding-dong" sound for correct answers. Incorrect answers are followed by a low tone, an x, and, the correct answer. Mini-lessons and hints pop up at appropriate learning moments. You can navigate freely within four groups of themes but must complete the whole group before moving to the next. Kids also can choose to test out when they feel confident about a particular theme.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 27 ):
Kids say ( 68 ):

Duolingo: Learn Languages Free is truly a fantastic app, packing many European languages plus English and full-sentence learning into an easy-to-grasp visual map. Many themes, immediate and gentle feedback, mini-lesson pop-ups, and hints at just the right moment make for a consistent and meaningful experience. Kids will stay motivated despite the lack of games partly because they can compete with other users anonymously or find friends via email. Kids also can switch to any of the other languages at any time and still maintain their progress in the one they've left.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the process of learning a language and do it together. Learn a language along with your kid and compete on the app, and then challenge each other to keep up a conversation in real life.

  • Watch a film in the language your kids are studying. See how much they can pick up, and then turn on subtitles to check their skills.

App Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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