Duolingo vs Wispy for speaking English
Duolingo is built to take you through a language from the first words, with a daily habit. Wispy is for a different moment: you understand English, read and work in it, and still speak in short, simple phrases.
Wispy works on getting the words you already recognise into your own speech.
Written by the Wispy team. Details about other apps were checked in October 2026 and can change.
What each one trains
Researchers distinguish passive vocabulary, the words you understand, from active vocabulary, the words you use, and the two grow at different rates (Laufer, 1998). Wispy works on the third skill.
Point by point
| Duolingo | Wispy | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is built for | Learners of many languages, starting from the first words. | People who understand English, roughly B1-B2, and speak it worse than they think. |
| What you practise | Short exercises along a course: choosing, translating, listening, repeating. | Conversations, rehearsals of conversations you have coming up, word training and short writing tasks. |
| Speaking out loud | Speaking exercises in lessons. Duolingo Max adds AI video calls and roleplay in some courses. | Voice conversations with an AI partner in real situations: work, everyday life abroad, social life. You can also answer in chat. |
| What keeps you going | Streaks, XP, leagues and a daily goal. | No streaks. One reminder a day at the hour you choose; other notifications only when there is a reason, like words due for review. |
| Feedback | Right or wrong on each exercise. Max adds explanations. | After each conversation: which of your words you used and which you avoided, quoted moments, habits, and phrases you repeated three or more times, with natural replacements. No praise. |
| Languages | Dozens of languages. | English only. The app itself is in English, Russian and Spanish. |
| Devices | iPhone, Android and the web. | iPhone. An Android version is coming soon. |
| Price | Free with ads. Super and Max are paid. | Free: the dictionary, daily news lessons, specials and one trial conversation. Conversations are part of the subscription, which starts with a 7-day free trial. |
Where Duolingo is the better choice
- You are starting a new language.
- You want a daily habit that feels like a game.
- You want several languages in one app.
- You want something free on Android or in a browser.
Where Wispy fits
- You recognise far more English words than you use, and you speak in short, safe phrases.
- You have a conversation coming up, like a stand-up, a job interview or an apartment viewing, and want to rehearse it first.
- You want to practise out loud with nobody else listening, by voice or in chat.
- You want to see which words you already say yourself, not only which ones you have reviewed.
Who Wispy is not for
- You are starting English from the beginning. Wispy works with the English you already have, roughly from B1.
- You want conversations for free. The free version includes one trial conversation; after that, conversations are part of the subscription.
- You want one app for many languages or subjects. Wispy is English only.
Where one ends and the other starts
Exercises that hand you the words build understanding. A conversation asks for something else: bringing up the words yourself, in your own sentences, while someone waits. Wispy practises that second part, with the English you already have.
Questions
I have used Duolingo for years and still cannot hold a conversation in English. What now?
Exercises that give you the words and ask you to choose, arrange or translate them build understanding. A conversation asks for more: finding the words for your own sentences while someone waits. That needs practice of its own: talking out loud or writing, and seeing which words actually came out.
Does Wispy have streaks?
No. There is no streak in the app or in reminders. You get one reminder a day at the hour you choose, and you can turn it off.
Is Wispy for beginners?
No. Wispy does not teach English from zero. It is for people who already understand English, roughly B1-B2, and want their speech to catch up with what they understand.
Other comparisons
Anki, Quizlet and Duolingo are trademarks of their respective owners. Wispy is not affiliated with them.
