Learning a new language is something that attributes to a life-changing experience. Not only does a multi-faceted phenomenon allow you to embrace the novel learnings of new cultures, but it improves your understanding of the world as a whole. If you own a Chromebook, there’s no reason you shouldn’t opt for the top 10 language apps for a Chromebook. Some of these are so fun that you’ll start enjoying the process.
The world of Android applications seamlessly made its way to Chrome OS back in 2016, marking what is now one of the best features of Chromebooks. Whether it’s the best messaging apps you require on these sleek devices or some high-quality song identifiers, Google Play has got your back every day of the week. Even if you’ve been meaning to learn a new language recently, now’s the best time to kick things off with Chrome OS.
Let’s dive into this comprehensive guide and talk about the best language-oriented apps for Chromebooks.
- Recommended from Chrome Ready: Top 10 unit converter apps for your Chromebook.
10 of the best language apps to get on Chrome OS
The following is our round-up of the best language apps that can get you started learning a new language. Be sure to read until the end for the best results.
1. Toucan – Language Learning
Toucan on Chrome OS
Starting off this list is Toucan, a personal favorite over at Chrome Ready that makes language learning fun, exciting, and just the opposite of boring. This application brings forth a unique concept for adapting to a new language, one that instills itself within the Google Chrome browser. Typically, you would have to install an application on the desktop interface to be able to use it and get some meaningful information out of the software.
Toucan, however, is exempt from this incidence as it makes itself known in the Chrome browser and tries to target certain words in your blocks of text, so you can understand the context and find it easier to learn the language at your convenience. It’s a lightweight application that manifests in the form of a Chrome Web Store extension. Toucan has more than 400,000 downloads on Google Chrome alone and boasts a 5/5 overall rating.
It may not have a comprehensive library of supported languages, but more are on the way and have been labeled by the developers to be arriving soon. At the moment, Toucan will teach you German, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, and even Japanese. Just make sure it’s running on the browser from your extensions toolbar, and that’ll be fine.
2. Duolingo
Duolingo
Duolingo is the next application in line that offers robust language learning features and an adorable mascot in the shape of a bird. This program is riddled from top to bottom with exercises, drills, tutorials, and everything else apart from practical speaking with other native people to help you pick up a language in the most direct way possible. It’s a widely famous program that sits proudly on the Google Play Store with more than 100 million downloads.
These figures are nothing to take lightly, of course. Instead, the amount of reputation Duilongo has solely belongs to its capacity to provide a smooth user interface to its users, minimal ad campaigns, and reliable usability. When you first launch the game, you will need to go through an initial setup where you’ll enter the language you want to learn and a couple of other preferences.
3. Memrise
Memrise
The developers of Memrise strongly believe that learning a new language isn’t that hard, especially when the one who’s teaching you is somewhere along with the level of the app in question. This software uses interactive images, photos, and snaps to explain what a particular phrase, sentence, or word means in a specific language.
What sets Memrise apart from all the different language apps for Chromebooks is the availability of recorded videos of native speakers saying a sentence in their mother tongue for users’ learning. While Memrise also doesn’t offer a library of languages as robust as Duolingo, it covers Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese.
In addition, the program at hand is fully optimized to work on Chrome OS so that you will appreciate the full-screen support feature and tip-top performance levels. Lastly, major relevant websites worldwide and the broad consensus seem to be rating Memrise relatively high. The 20+ language course is fantastic to try out, and if you spend some time tinkering with the different features present in Memrise, you’ll love the app to boot.
4. Mondly
Mondly
Mondly boasts over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store, so it isn’t as decked out as some of the other entries on the list, but it’s something. First off, this application sports a solid 4.7/5.0 overall rating for all the functionality it packs and even has a relatively smaller file size. You get daily free sessions that can even fit within a tight schedule and help you memorize core words.
In addition, you’ll be able to form sentences, learn phrases, and partake in active dialogues, all using Mondly. The application may not have full-screen support on some Chromebooks, especially those that aren’t tablet-style, like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. Still, all the convenience of learning a new language is worth it with Mondly.
5. LingoDeer
LingoDeer
Furthering this list is yet another language app called LingoDeer, offering an amusing solution for enthusiastic learners looking to brush up on their language skills. Unlike most of the entries on this list, LingoDeer features downloadable offline lessons, so you can keep yourself busy in situations where there’s no internet.
In addition, the applications let you track your progress and provide you with different statistics to be wary of during your language learning journey. Similar to how Memrise functions on Chrome OS, LingoDeer lets users impart knowledge from HD recordings of native language speakers. Pretty intuitive, if you ask us.
6. Busuu: Learn Languages
Busuu: Learn Languages
Busuu: Learn Languages is a high-quality application that makes short work of most complications of learning a new language. It sets out the learning material in an easy-to-digest format with the inclusion of words, phrases, grammar, and more.
The application enjoys a rock-solid reputation on the Google Play Store with over 10 million downloads and a 4.6/5.0 overall rating. You’ve got lessons to complete and the recaps to review if you’re looking to jog your memory and solidify your learning method in Busuu. It’s genuinely a complete app for improving your basic knowledge of certain languages.
7. LingQ – Learn 42 Languages
LingQ on Chrome OS
Moving on, we have a fully optimized Chromebook application called LingQ. This software makes it quite stylish for users to learn new forms of conversational language on Chrome OS, primarily due to its tip-top user interface. In addition to just that, LingQ adopts the form of your favorite books, podcasts, articles, and videos and derives your learning from them.
It’s genuinely a top-rated application with a little under 1 million downloads. That number is soon going to rise, though, as more and more individuals are starting to acknowledge the brilliance of LingQ. The app even features tablet support for Chromebooks and even fonts and line spacing style options for different types of power users.
8. Rosetta Stone: Learn, Practice, and Speak Languages
Rosetta Stone: Learn, Practice, and Speak Languages
Rosetta Stone: Learn, Practice, and Speak Languages is another exceptionally worthy language app for Chromebook that provides access to 24 different languages. It offers personalized lessons according to your fluency level, not to mention the various language tools that help you pick up a new vocabulary without breaking a sweat.
The app has been graced with awards from PCMag, Tabby Awards, and numerous other prize wins. To learn on the fly, Rosetta Stone features Swedish, Polish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, and even Russian and Greek, so there’s genuinely no shortage of what you can get in this high-quality software.
9. Mango Languages
Mango Languages on Chrome OS
Mango Languages, just like Toucan: Language Learning, brings a distinct concept to the table, unlike what most other applications are doing. This software allows you to learn from actual conversations between real people, breaking each word, letter, and sentence down until you come to perfection.
The program grows and has 1 million downloads+ on the Google Play Store. This is on top of the overall 4.7/5.0 overall score of Mango Languages on the famous Android marketplace. Reviewing your daily progress, tapping on every word to get its definition and way of pronunciation, and, of course, consistently practicing reading and listening content are some of the most prominent highlights of the app.
10. Tandem: Language Exchange
Tandem: Language Exchange
Tandem: Language Exchange is our final pick for this article. It’s a comprehensive application with a unique design that features over 45 different languages to learn and communicate in. It features more than 5 million downloads on Google Play, all for the right reasons.
For instance, unlike other language apps, Tandem: Language Exchange Learning focuses on vocabulary rather than grammar, so only the words with high practical usage and implementation are discussed and taught to the user. Apart from that, the app is just so immersive that you’ll genuinely find it enjoyable to learn a new language.
Conclusion
Learning a new language is one of the best experiences that people who travel around the world recommend having. This is just an unexplainable feeling that sets you apart from the rest of the individuals and allots a designated title for you. If you have a Chromebook, you can easily indulge in some of the best applications for gaining new knowledge on a new type of vocabulary.
This guide has covered 10 of the best language apps for Chromebooks in detail, so make sure you go through them all for the best results. Do let us know down in the comments section if you’re learning a new language now.
As always, Chrome Ready wishes you good luck!
- Recommended read: Top 20 Google Play Store apps for Chromebook.
