Practical English

Apps That Actually Help You Learn English

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Written in

2025
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Reading time

5 min
Apps That Actually Help You Learn English

"Insights from real conversations and real problems"

Apps That Actually Help You Learn English

There are thousands of language apps, but only a few truly move the needle. After testing many tools myself and watching what works for learners in class, these are the three I recommend most.

1) Quizlet — vocabulary via flashcards

Quizlet lets you build your own sets and practise through interactive modes. Creating good sets, however, is time‑consuming. If you can, ask a teacher or knowledgeable friend to prepare a quality deck for you. If you’re self‑studying, a simple notebook also works: write the word on one page and its meaning on a different page to force recall (spaced repetition) and make memory stick.

2) TEDICT — active listening with dictation

TEDICT pairs TED Talks with dictation exercises. It splits talks into short lines so you listen and type what you hear; mistakes are corrected and you can enable hints based on difficulty. You train listening, spelling and vocabulary in real context. At times it can be even more effective than chatting with a native speaker, because you have space to examine every word carefully.

3) TFlat Dictionary — lightweight, with built‑in flashcards

This is a simple, free EN–VI dictionary. Its killer feature is integrated flashcards: when you look a word up, star it to add to your review list. Be careful with spelling so you get full definitions and examples. When it’s time to review, open the starred list and switch on flashcards.

No matter which app you use, habits win: add new words regularly, review on a schedule, and reuse them in real conversations. Technology is a tool — you decide the results.

What do you think?

This article might've started as a scribble on the back of a receipt during a bus ride, a spark of something real after a conversation over a pint of Leffe, or notes from a Sunday afternoon client call that left me buzzing with ideas. However it came to be, I hope it found you at just the right moment.

If it stirred something in you, or if you're just curious about anything from automating the boring bits of your business to capturing your quiet magic in a coffee shop shoot — shall we pencil something into the diary?

I'd love to be on the other end of the conversation.

Thi Nguyen offers a wide range of marketing, automation consultancy for small, medium enterprises. Email: [email protected]. She's currently based in London, UK.
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