75% of Americans are monolingual, meaning they only know one language. But, 43% of Americans admit that it’s important to know as many languages as possible.

For many Americans living along the Southern border of the US, it will be necessary to learn at least a second language, most likely meaning that they will have to learn Spanish merely to go about their daily lives. For these people, Spanish will be one of the most useful languages to learn because so many people speak Spanish locally. It is also one of the best languages to learn for both business and leisure purposes since 20 countries have Spanish as an official language, with 420 million people speaking it worldwide (320 million of them natively). Since you cannot necessarily use translation services everywhere you go or hire a personal interpreter, it becomes important to learn a second language if you are going to be able to live and communicate effectively within that segment of society.

Many people avoid learning a new language not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t have the time or resources. But, taking a language class in school isn’t the only way to learn how to speak a new language. In today’s world, there are countless apps to help you learn and become fluent in a variety of languages.

If you want to master a new language, keep reading to discover the best language learning apps.

1. Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the more popular options when it comes to learning a language with an app.

This app features 35 language courses for English speakers. You can take the more traditional courses like Spanish or French or you can learn Swahili or Hebrew.

Duolingo presents language learning in small lessons. The app tracks what questions you get right and tailors the learning experience to help you succeed. You can gain rewards for learning streaks, which keep you logging back onto the app to learn more.

The app features both free and paid versions, making it available to anyone with a smartphone.

2. Babbel

Another one of the great language learning apps is Babbel. This app has 13 different language options, ranging from Italian to Russian.

The app follows a traditional, curriculum like learning style as you would get in a language course at school. The lessons range from 10-15 minutes long so you can easily fit them into your normal schedule.

Babbel uses speech recognition technology to help you learn to fluently speak the language. In addition, the app teaches you conversational phrases that you would use while traveling.

This smartphone app does come with a subscription price starting at $6.95 per month if you sign up for a year.

3. Lingvist

If you’re looking for a learning tool that offers both online and app courses, Lingvist is the best option.

Lingvist has courses in Spanish, French, Russian, and German. The app is great if you’ve already learned a little bit of a language because it starts with a placement test to customize your lessons.

The unique thing that Lignvist offers is course wizard. Here you can choose a topic, certain vocab words, or a theme you’d like to focus on. Then, the app creates a unique course just for you and your goals.

Lingvist is available as an app or through the desktop site, giving you a wide variety of learning options. It does come with a price tag of $6.67 per month for a one-year subscription.

4. Memrise

Memrise boasts that it provides the fastest way to learn a language. This app has courses on over 100 languages, providing a learning experience for the less-popular dialects and regional languages.

What makes Memrise unique is the thousands of unique video clips included in the lessons. They have recorded native speakers using common phrases and having conversations. This allows you to truly study the accent and pronunciations you may miss when just reading words on a screen.

You can access a few free lessons on the app daily. But, if you want the full learning experience, prices start at $9 for one month of lessons.

5. Lirica

Lirica is unlike any of the other language apps on this list. This app helps you learn a new language through music.

Currently, the app only focuses on the Spanish language. How it works is that you choose a hit song by a Latin artist. As you listen to the song sung in Spanish, you follow along with English subtitles.

To increase the experience, the app will ask you questions about the lyrics and the phrases after the song plays. You can also choose to listen to the song verse by verse to really concentrate on the language.

There is a free version of the app with a limited number of songs. To get the full learning experience, you’ll pay a monthly fee of $4.49.

6. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone has been known as one of the best language learning programs for years. But now they provide their learning program in app form as well as their traditional audio-based courses.

The courses are available in over 20 language options, including Persian and Turkish. The app comes with a large variety of features that help you translate written text, perfect your accent and more.

The app allows you to customize your own learning plan. That way, you can learn at your own pace and prioritize different phrases or themes.

Both the app and desktop versions offer free trials. A subscription for the courses starts at $19.95 per month.

7. TripLingo

TripLingo is the best language learning app if you’re preparing to travel.

The app focuses on 13 languages. Once you choose your language, the course focuses on 2,000 key-phrases that will help with your travel experience. The app also instantly translates speech, to help you if you get stuck not understanding something while on your trip.

Since the app is travel based, it offers features beyond language learning courses. You’ll have access to a safety feature which includes local emergency information and medical terminology. There’s also a culture and etiquette guide included with each language.

There is a free version to the app that offers basic learning of all languages. For a more in-depth experience, the monthly subscription costs $19.99.

Language Learning Apps

Whatever your motivation behind wanting to learn a new language, these language learning apps will help you achieve your goal.

But don’t think that you’re going to download the app and be able to fluently speak a new language in just a few weeks. Mastering a language can take years, and you need to dedicate yourself to working with these apps every day to maximize your learning potential.

Once you’ve got a grasp on your newly-learned language, start planning a trip to a country that speaks it. Head to the Travel section of this site to get helpful advice on visiting the country of your choice.