Duolingo

We made an anime. It did… pretty well. 👀🦉 Like 100M+ impressions kind of well. We knew it was a little unexpected. We weren’t sure how people would react. But turns out, people loved the drama and Duo dressed as a… maid? This one was a true collaboration: we partnered with animation studio Titmouse and brought it to life alongside 18 of our incredibly talented in-house artists. If you missed it, here’s your chance: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ecjV8wEV 💚 Should we make more anime? Or something else? Let us know in the comments below!

This is a casting call! It’s your opportunity to be famous! So many of you have been sharing your Duolingo story with us here, and we can’t stop thinking about them. They are joyful, deeply personal, and some are just outright O M G. We’re working on a campaign and looking to feature a few of our learners. 👇 Share your Duolingo story below if you’d like to be considered. Or, if you prefer a more private avenue, DM it to us. (Preference for folks based in LA or NYC, but don't let that stop you from sharing your story!)

3 questions we often get asked at Duolingo — answered. ✅ ❓Is Duolingo free? Yes! Every language and lesson on Duolingo is completely free, and it always will be. Our commitment to remaining free is rooted in our commitment to democratize education because we believe everyone deserves the chance to improve their careers, academic prospects, and lives through education. ❓ Does Duolingo work? Research shows that within five weeks, beginners can start greeting people and introducing themselves. Additionally, five sections of Duolingo can match five semesters of university study (Jiang et al., 2021; Kittredge et al., 2024). Find links to research papers in comments. ❓ Who develops Duolingo course content? All our curriculum is built by our Learning and Curriculum (L+C) team. Our L+C team is made up of 40+ learning and teaching experts. They are learning scientists, researchers, linguists, former teachers, and curriculum experts. Their job is to make sure that Duolingo actually teaches you something. Have a question we didn't answer? Drop it in the comments. 👇

We all have different reasons for wanting to learn something new. Maybe you're picking up a new language to connect with your partner's family.  Maybe you're tackling chess to share something with your kid. Maybe you're brushing up on math so you don’t have to pull out your calculator to tip. Every streak starts with a reason. What's yours? 👇 🌱 To grow & challenge myself ❤️ To connect with someone I love 🌍 To explore the world 🤷 Something else

Are adults too old to learn a new language? Many people say yes, but that’s misleading. The truth is, researchers have identified a "critical period" for learning a second language in childhood, roughly 7 to 13, when the brain is especially primed to absorb a new language. It's tied to neural plasticity, the brain's ability to form new connections, and kids have a lot of it. 🧠 The misleading part is that plasticity actually doesn't disappear when you’re an adult. You just need to change how you learn. The good news is certain activities and experiences can promote neural plasticity in adulthood, including—you guessed it!—learning a language. 🤯 At Duolingo, we know that what really differentiates adult learners from kids is social, not neurological. Kids will say the wrong word, get corrected, and move on. Adults, on the other hand, will rehearse a sentence, get self-conscious, and default back to English. The most effective shift for an adult learner is to stop aiming to be "fluent." Kids never set that goal for themselves. Instead, they aim for being understood, one attempt at a time. Pick something concrete instead (e.g., a recipe, song, or 5-minute conversation), and let fluency grow from there. Read more on our blog for the science behind this: https://lnkd.in/ezP5_Pxm

🎉🌟 Time to celebrate Caroline Ouwerkerk, who has just hit an incredible milestone: 11+ years of daily language learning on Duolingo! Caroline has been learning Dutch to connect with her dad’s side of the family, and she’s shown some serious dedication to keep her streak alive — without ever using a streak freeze. Check out some of the wild ways she made it happen: 🐓On a bike tour in Vietnam: She broke away from a bike tour in Ha Long Bay, venturing off to a remote chicken farm to snag an unsecured wi-fi signal. 👰 On her wedding day: As she sat getting her makeup done, she made sure to squeeze in a Dutch lesson. 👶 The day she gave birth: At 5 a.m., while in labor, she completed her daily practice before leaving for the hospital to deliver her baby. Eleven years of dedication, growth, and never missing a day — you and your 4183 day-streak are an inspiration, Caroline! 🏆👏

Ever heard of vanity metrics? They don’t tell you much, but they sure LOOK good. Learning isn’t as simple as how many lessons a learner did or how long they spent in the app. This is why we built proprietary metrics to ensure learners were actually, well, learning! Early on, we looked at metrics like total sessions. This is easy to grow and easy to celebrate. Plus it looked good on a chart. The problem? Total sessions measures activity, not progress. So we developed something more complex and accurate: Time Spent Learning Well (TSLW). TSLW only counts time when learners are: ✅ Working on material at the right level ✅ Making meaningful progress ✅ Actively building new skills VS. repeating lessons, tapping through, or just “being active.” It would’ve been easier to optimize for big numbers. But that’s not in service of our learners. So we chose a metric that’s harder to move and more honest. 👉 Read about how it works: https://lnkd.in/eNavgy3E

What if you could practice speaking a new language without the fear of embarrassing yourself in front of a real person? Good news, you can! That's exactly what Duolingo's Video Call feature does. Speaking practice is an important part of learning a new language, and this feature is one way to practice, right in the app. Think of it like practicing speaking a language over FaceTime with a bestie. There are two types of Video Calls, each available on Duolingo Max — one designed for beginners and one intended for more advanced learners. Let's break down the differences and meet the characters helping learners practice speaking below. 🐻 Video Call with Falstaff: the fluffy bear who's coaching you along the way ▪️ Best for: beginners or anyone who wants support and coaching before going freeform ▪️ Structured, guided conversation to learn useful phrases to use in conversation ▪️ Falstaff asks questions tailored to your language level and speaks in both the language you’re learning and coaches you in your native language ▪️ Similar to a tutor, Falstaff suggests phrases and translations when you're stuck ▪️ Falstaff is encouraging and gives real-time feedback in your own language 💜 Video Call with Lily: the snarky teenager who secretly wants you to succeed ▪️ Best for: learners who want to practice speaking freely and build real-world confidence ▪️Open-ended conversations to help learners practice speaking for real world interactions ▪️ Lily adapts to your language level in real time and only speaks in the language you're learning ▪️ No grammar corrections, mimicking that of a real conversation ▪️ Lily's personality includes deadpan humor, eye rolls, and the occasional sarcastic remark Think of it this way: Falstaff holds your hand until you're ready, and then Lily lets go. If speaking confidently in a new language is your goal, you should give Video Call a try. 👀

One question we often get: “When will you have more advanced course content?”  The answer: Today! We’re excited about this because it unlocks more opportunities for our learners, which is key to our mission. This content is now available for learners of the following languages, regardless of the language they’re learning from: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Available on iOS, Android, and Web.

Think fast: How do you say desk in Spanish? What about briefcase? If you’ve ever nailed a lesson but couldn’t remember the word on your own later, you’re not alone. Recognizing a word is one thing, but recalling it in the moment is an entirely different task — and one that matters a lot for learners eager to have conversations in their new language. This is why we designed Flashcards! Flashcards is an exercise designed to boost your memory and word recall. Here’s how it works:  1. You'll see a word in your target language.  2. Say (or type) the translation out loud, and get immediate feedback. 3. Get it right, and the card disappears.  4. Get it wrong, and it cycles back. Think of word recall like a hiking trail. If you walk it once, it all feels new, and it’s barely visible. But if you walk it repeatedly, it becomes a path you can confidently follow without thinking. The next time a Flashcard stack appears, remember that you're not just doing an exercise. You're walking the trail. 🥾