16 Best Free English Learning Websites and Apps

We have compiled a list of best free english learning websites, apps and social media pages which help you learn to read, write and speak English.

English language is used by 1.75 billion people in the world. ‘We communicate in English, we negotiate in English, and we sing karaoke in English,’ said Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Thai politician and former Secretary-General of the ASEAN, at TESOL 2014. It stresses the use of English in diplomacy, commerce, entertainment, media, academia and IT.

These following English learning websites can be used on computer and mobile devices. They teach grammar, vocab, contextual usage and language concepts. You can choose two-three English learning websites that work the best for you, and then be disciplined with your daily learning.

You can read our tips on how to use these English learning websites for effective learning.

1. BBC Learning English

Platforms: Website, Youtube and Facebook (Free)

Learn with: Interactives, videos and radio broadcasts

Levels: Intermediate and advanced

BBC Learning English website will help you practice English listening skills.

It has a bank of videos and radio broadcasts teaching pronunciations, phrases, intermediate and advanced English courses, words in the news, communication skills in different scenarios, and grammar.

On the website, you can learn english with support for different languages like Mandarine, Thai, Punjabi, and Gujarati. You can follow ‘BBC Learning English’ Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram pages for quick tips and lessons to learn with best english resources. Due to its quality content, BBC Learning English is one of our favourites among the best free english learning websites.

2. British Council

Platforms: Website and mobile app (Free)

Learn with: Interactives, videos, podcasts and audios series

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

Learning English with British Council prepares you for listening, reading and writing the language. There are lessons on grammar and vocabulary, and business communication. You can watch videos, play games, read jokes, etc. while learning English.

British Council English learning courses are divided into those for Kids and teens, adults, professionals, and those who are preparing for IELTS. You can learn on your country or language-specific British Council English website. Their Facebook pages are also very interesting learning resources among the available sites for English learning.

You can also learn English with British Council on the go with their mobile apps for phonics, grammar, Vocabulary, phrases, audios & videos, podcasts, and pronunciations.

3. Babbel

Platforms: Website and mobile app (Freemium, $2 ? $12 USD per month)

Learn with: Interactives

Levels: Beginner and Intermediate

Babbel is a popular language learning website. While learning English on Babbel, you can set your own on-screen language to German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Swedish, which makes comprehension easy for a new learner:

To best learn english online, you can first assess your language knowledge, and this website does exactly that, and on the basis of that assessment it shows you interactive lessons and quizzes to learn English.

You can learn quick phrases, vocabulary, and grammar. This helps you learn to communicate on a trip. You can choose whether you want to learn reading, writing, speaking, listening or grammar during a lesson. You can use a microphone for their dictation exercises and to improve your pronunciations.

4. Duolingo

Platforms: Website and mobile app (Free)

Learn with: Interactives

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate and advanced

For English learning, the best sites teach you in your language. Like Babbel, Duolingo also lets you choose your display language for learning English, your daily study time, and your prior knowledge of the language. You take a placement test before starting the learning level you qualify for. Practice with reading, listening and writing interactive exercises on the platform. You can even converse using the communication service on the platform. Its gamified learning process with reward points and email reminders keep learners motivated.

5. FluentU

Platforms: Website and mobile app (Free version or $8 – $18 per month, $80 – $180 per year)

Learn with: Videos, interactive.

Levels: Intermediate and advanced

On FluentU, you can learn English with the help of real world videos–TV shows, music videos, news and more. The videos have interactive captions, which can be hovered over to pause the video and get the captions’ meanings and definitions. This will help you understand how a word is used in different context, and how the language is actually spoken. You can take quizzes based on the videos. The platform tracks your progress and suggests suitable resources to learn.

6. English Central

Platform: Website ($15?30+ USD per month)

Learn with: Interactive, videos, record yourself

Levels: Intermediate and advanced

Similar to FluentU, English Central has over 10,000 videos on themes like Business, Media, Social, Travel, Academics and Kids. You can choose the theme that interests you and watch videos with captions and definitions. It has interactivities that help you learn the language and improve your pronunciations and grammar. You can choose the line that you would like to speak, and use a microphone to do so, and check if you spoke them correctly or not. This is a feature that sets it apart from other English learning sites. It?s a great tool to learn to speak English.

7. Phrasemix

Platforms: Website, and iOS, Android and Windows apps

(Free for some lessons, $12 ? 15 USD per month; $132 for a full year)

Learn with: Interactives

Level: Beginner

With Phrasemix, You can learn best English phrases that are useful in various real-life situations like making friends, eating out, and giving a job interview. You can even listen to the lessons to improve your listening skills. These two things–phrases and audio lessons–prepare you to use English language easily. The platform tracks what you’ve learnt. You can learn on the go using their mobile apps.

8. Manythings.org

Platforms: Website, mobile and tablet

Learn with: Quizzes, podcasts, crosswords, and flash games

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

It’s a very simple website with resources on Vocab, grammar, sentences, listening, pronunciation, reading, spellings, etc. They use printables, quizzes, podcasts and flash games to make learning English easy and fun. The website’s interface might not be very fancy, but it?s a great learning resource.

9. eslcafe.com

Platforms: Website and forum

Learn with: Online lessons and communication

Levels: Beginner and Intermediate

This website has learning resources for teachers and students. You can learn English grammar, phrases, and pronunciation, and participate in a teacher or student forum based on the topic you are interested in–computers, food, health, hobbies, holidays, travel, jobs, etc. Teachers can also access various classroom teaching resources.

10. Voice of America

Platforms: Website and Youtube

Learn with: Videos, audios, articles and quizzes

Levels: Intermediate and Advanced

With Voice of America news and English lessons, you can learn and teach how to read, listen and speak English. It’s one of the best free websites to learn English with resources on themes like politics, business, health, science, food, and entertainment. With its articles with highlighted keywords, its videos and audios with transcripts, and its quizzes, you can learn English in the best way.

11. Coursera

Platforms: Website, and Android and iOS apps (Freemium)

Learn with: Videos and assignments

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

Coursera has a lot of English courses online to learn English for business, social and academic communications.

With its courses from universities like University of California, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Arizona State University, and University of Pennsylvania, you can learn Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels of English grammar, speaking, pronunciation, listening, etc. It has some free english courses, while many other can be accessed through Coursera’s subscription plans.

12. talkenglish.com

Platform: Website

Learn with: Audio lessons, quizzes, text

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

With TalkEnglish.com, you can learn English speaking, listening, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary through audio lessons, quizzes, theme-wise phrases, concept applications, and dialogues. Its streamlined lessons are simple and effective.

Their method to learn English effectively:

Relate article: Tips for Using English Learning Websites

13. TED talks

Platforms: Website and Youtube (Free)

Learn with: Videos, subtitles, transcripts, conversation

Levels: Intermediate and Advanced

If want to learn about life, career and everything good while you learn how to speak English, then go to TED talks. The platforms hosts talks from writers, engineers, painters, life gurus, architects, businessmen, students, and many other kinds of people who share their heartwarming and moving experiences and learnings with the world. You can watch these videos with subtitles to learn better, and refer to the transcripts of the videos in various languages to understand their meaning. You can even participate in conversations based on a particular video to learn about the topic and to converse better. It definitely qualifies to be one of the top free English learning sites.

14. EnglishGrammar.org

Platform: Website

Learn with: Articles, quizzes and videos

Levels: Intermediate and Advanced

This resourceful website run by Jennifer Frost can be used to learn and practice English grammar and writing skills. It covers articles, exercises, videos and writing lessons. It covers nouns, pronouns, prepositions, articles, commas, adjective, adverbs, conjunctions, creative writing, business writing, essay writing, etc. It?s again a simple yet useful English learning website.

15. Listenaminute.com

Platform: Website

Learn with: Audios and exercises

Levels: Beginner and Intermediate

The platform has 479 one-minute audios for listening with 9-page handouts including exercises, and quizzes. You can also use some of the handout exercises for group study. The audios are based on various micro-themes like electricity, family, eating, driving, dogs, doctors, humour, guns, and lies. It’s a fun way to learn the language when you have less amount of time for learning. its small lessons are also easier for revision.

16. IELTSpodcast.com

Platform: Website

Learn with: Podcasts, videos, slides and articles

Levels: Intermediate and Advanced

IELTSpodcast.com has IELTS-based English writing, speaking, reading, listening, and vocab podcasts, articles and exercises. You can even download the podcasts for offline learning. It prepares you to pass your IELTS exam, and even if you are not planning to give the exam, it helps you be fluent with English language. You can also refer to their mock IELTS exams with answers.

All the resources in this article have different teaching formats and structures which you can choose from. Find 2-3 websites that work the best for you. Have fun while learning, be persistent, and interact with English speakers offline as much as you can.

You can also read our tips on how to use these best free english learning websites before you start.

Have fun learning and teaching!

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