Every day, 31.4 million users log in to Duolingo, where they can choose from courses in major world languages like Russian and French to even fictional ones like High Valyrian. With its gamified approach and quick lessons, it’s no surprise that it has become one of the most popular language-learning platforms in the world. But despite all its popularity, the real question is: Does Duolingo actually work?
Duolingo’s success mainly comes from how accessible it is. It’s free, engaging and designed to make learning more fun. By breaking down lessons into smaller pieces, users are able to more easily incorporate language learning into their everyday lives. A study by City University of New York and the University of South Carolina even found that 34 hours of Duolingo use could provide the same learning benefits as a semester of college-level Spanish in terms of reading and writing skills. For foundational learning, at the very least, Duolingo proves to be a useful tool.
However, learning a language is more complex than one might realize. To actually acquire fluency, one needs consistent practice speaking, listening, reading and writing. This is where Duolingo’s limitations are a little more clear. One of Duolingo’s key features is its translation-based approach to teaching languages. The app encourages users to translate phrases between their native language and their target language. While this can be helpful for building basic vocabulary, it doesn’t effectively train users for real-world conversations. Linguist John Fotheringham says that the issue with learning from translation is that they “add an additional, unneeded step that slows cognition down and gums up the works.”
Further research also supports this viewpoint. A study from the University of California, Los Angeles found that “back-and-forth” conversation is a key factor in language acquisition and developing fluency. However, this type of experience is lost when relying solely on Duolingo and can therefore leave users feeling unprepared for spontaneous conversation and everyday speech when having to actively use the language.
Duolingo also doesn’t provide much in the way of cultural immersion, which is an important part of learning a second language. Without exposure to the culture behind the language, learners may say the wrong things as although they are grammatically correct, it is not seen as something you can culturally say. An app is unable to provide the immersive experience needed for full language comprehension.
While Duolingo is indeed a useful tool for beginners, especially in building vocabulary and grammar, it is not sufficient for achieving fluency. Its translation-based approach and lack of immersive experiences mean that users may struggle with real-world conversations. To become fluent, learners should supplement Duolingo with speaking practice, cultural immersion, and real-world interactions. Although Duolingo offers a strong foundation, it is not a standalone solution for mastering a language.
The Duolingo app is used all over the world with English being the top language studied in over 120 countries. When Duolingo originated as a free language learning app, it was able to quickly become one of the most well known, reaching a value of around $11.5 billion in just under 12 years. (photo/User ilgmyzin via Unsplash)
