The good thing about being an English learner is that there are many different ways for you to improve your English. The next time you pick up your phone, turn it into a learning opportunity as we’re here to share with you some of the best apps for students to improve your English language.

1) Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the best apps for language students around the world. The app is suitable for beginners and consists of short games and courses that will slowly build up your command of English as you level up. 

The app is most useful to help expand your vocabulary and test your grammar skills. Since each game or course only takes a few minutes, it’s easier to be consistent about using it daily. The Duolingo mascot which is an owl will also send you reminders through the app or email to continue your learning streak. 

Duolingo is free to use but if you prefer an ad-free experience, you could purchase a Super Duolingo subscription which also unlocks some additional features. Duolingo is available for both IOS and Android phones.

2) Grammarly

Do you ever second guess yourself when you’re writing essays or even emails and social media captions in English? Even the best writers need help editing and proofreading to catch any mistakes that they might have missed. Grammarly is the best app out there to help students proofread and enhance their writing. 

Firstly, Grammarly helps you spot and correct grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes. On top of that, Grammarly also gives helpful suggestions such as ways to make a sentence more concise or clear. Simply copy and paste your text or essay into the app or the Grammarly website and it’ll do the work for you! 

However, make sure you’re also learning from the mistakes so you don’t repeat them the next time you’re writing especially during your exams when Grammarly will not be there to help you. 

The app is available on both IOS and Android, or you could use the online website if you’re on your laptop. Grammarly is free but you have the option to purchase a premium account to access more features.

3) YouTube

Most of us probably already have this app on our phones but if you don’t, now is the time to do so. YouTube might be somewhere you usually go to get entertained or to procrastinate (don’t worry, we can relate). However, there are ways to make your time on the app educational.

YouTube is a good place for you to improve your English listening and comprehension skills especially if people around you rarely use English in their daily life. While there are YouTube channels dedicated to teaching English, you could also watch your favourite YouTuber’s vlogs or videos about topics you’re interested in as long as it’s in English.

While watching, pay attention to the pronunciations and phrases used. If the content is created by someone living in an English-speaking country, it’s also a good way to learn English slang and popular expressions. 

4) BBC Learning English

BBC Learning English consists of short bite-sized videos that are good to test your English comprehension. Besides that, there are also accessible materials that aim to help English learners improve their grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

One feature of the app that we like is the ‘Learn with the News’ section which consists of short videos about current affairs with a summary, glossary and a quiz that you can take after watching the video. This is an easy way to learn English while also keeping up to date with the news. 

The app is best for students from lower intermediate to advanced levels as it builds up basic English skills and introduces new concepts. It is available on both IOS and Android for free. If you’re using a laptop or computer, you can also head on to their website.

5) FluentU

This app uses video content and also audio dialogues to help language learners improve their English language communication skills. You would find the videos on their platform engaging as they are usually taken from the real world such as advertisements, newsreels and movie trailers that are suitable to learn English.

There are English subtitles for their videos which might also make it easier for you to follow along. If you come across a new word, you can easily hover over the word, and the definition will pop up, which is really convenient. You can also find interactive quizzes which you can take based on the videos to deepen your understanding.

FluentU is a paid app but there’s a 2-week free trial where you can explore the app and then decide whether it’s something that works for you. 

6) Vocabulary Games  

During the pandemic, you might have heard of the Wordle craze. Wordle is a game where you will need to guess a five-letter word in 6 tries by playing around with the order of the alphabet. 

Wordle alongside other long existing games such as Scrabble and Crossword Puzzles can test your vocabulary as it challenges you to think about all the words you know and also introduces new words.

There are plenty of apps out there offering these vocabulary-related games which are fun to play. Some of them can only be played online, some can be played offline. Regardless of whether you’re using an IOS or Android phone, you would find plenty of apps that offer these types of games. As a student, you can choose the best-reviewed apps which are often also free.

7) Dictionary Apps

The last addition to this list of best apps for students is none other than a dictionary app. There are many dictionary apps out there such as the Oxford Dictionary of English, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary or Dictionary.com. It doesn’t matter which ones you choose to download as they all serve the same purpose.

Having a dictionary app handy on your phone means you can easily look up meanings and it’s also useful to see examples of how a word is used in a sentence. These app dictionaries also tend to have a ‘word of the day’ feature which would introduce you to a random new word which you might find useful in the future.