Questions and answers

Why can I understand English but not speak it?

Because understanding and speaking are different skills. Recognising a word when you read or hear it is easier than finding it yourself in the second you need it, and most practice, like reading, listening and flashcards, trains recognition. So the words you understand keep growing while the words you say stay the same. Speaking catches up only through speaking: using the words yourself, in your own sentences.

How do I stop using the same simple words when I speak English?

Notice which words you lean on, pick a few you already recognise but never say, and use them in real sentences until they come out without effort. In Wispy, the review after each conversation shows phrases you repeated three or more times and offers natural replacements, and the words you avoided come back in later conversations.

How do I turn passive vocabulary into active vocabulary?

By using the words yourself, in a sentence you say or write, not by reviewing them once more. Reviewing keeps a word fresh; only producing it makes it a word you say. Wispy is built around this: it shows how many of the words you recognise you have actually said or written yourself.

Are flashcards enough to speak English?

No, though they help. A flashcard gives you a prompt and time to think. A conversation gives you neither. Use cards to keep words in memory, and add practice where you produce the words yourself.

More on this: Wispy vs Anki, Wispy vs Quizlet

What is Wispy?

Wispy is an app for people who understand English but speak it in short, simple phrases. You practise conversations with an AI partner by voice or in chat, rehearse conversations you have coming up, and train the words you recognise but do not use yet. The app shows how many of those words you have said or written yourself.

Who is Wispy for? Is it for beginners?

It is for people with roughly B1-B2 English who work in international teams or live abroad: fine in chat and email, quieter on calls, at the doctor or at a party. It is not for beginners. Wispy does not teach English from zero; it works with the English you already have.

More on this: Wispy vs Duolingo

How is Wispy different from practising with ChatGPT?

A general AI chatbot can hold a good conversation. It will not notice that you lean on the same twenty words the whole time, will not offer a replacement, and does not keep track of which words you have said yourself. Wispy does all three, and choosing an answer from options never counts as saying a word.

Can I rehearse a specific conversation, like a job interview?

Yes, that is what Rehearsal is for. You describe the conversation in your own words, for example “stand-up, and my task is stuck” or “apartment viewing on Thursday”, and Wispy picks a similar situation from its catalogue: short preparation, then a conversation. If there is nothing similar, you talk it through from your own description, without preparation. You can also mark when it happens: today, tomorrow, this week or every week.

What if I cannot speak out loud right now?

Write instead. Conversations work in chat as well as by voice, and in the daily news lessons you write your own reply, which an AI checks. A sentence you wrote yourself counts the same as one you said. Out loud can wait until you have a room to yourself.

How does Wispy know which words I have said?

It checks the words in your own sentences, in conversations and in writing tasks. Only a word you used in a sentence of your own counts. Picking it from a list of options never does, and neither does copying a sentence from an example. Wispy does not estimate the size of your vocabulary: it shows only what you have actually done.

Where do my words come from?

From your dictionary: words from lessons and daily news lessons, words you look up, and frequency word lists (B1-C1) that you sort into “Don't know”, “I recognize it” and “I use it”. Wispy does not guess what you know. You mark the words yourself.

Does Wispy correct me during a conversation?

It helps rather than interrupts. Under the word you are trying to say, you see its translation and when it fits. If you are stuck, you get a hint in your native language of what you could answer, not a ready English sentence. The detailed review comes after the conversation: quoted moments, habits, repeated phrases with replacements. No praise.

Will Wispy make me fluent? How long does it take?

Wispy does not promise fluency or a timeline. What it shows is concrete: which words you recognise, which of them you already say yourself, and how that changes over time.

Do I have to practise every day?

No. There are no streaks. You get one reminder a day at the hour you choose, which you can turn off, and other notifications only when there is a reason, such as words due for review.

Is Wispy free?

Partly. Free with no limit: the dictionary, three lessons a day on fresh news, and specials on series, sports and games. Also free: one trial conversation, preparation for the first few Rehearsal situations, and word training with a daily number of AI checks. Conversations are part of the subscription, which starts with a 7-day free trial. The price is shown in the App Store for your country.

Is there an Android version?

Not yet, but it is coming soon. For now, Wispy is on iPhone.

What languages is the app available in?

The app interface is in English, Russian and Spanish, and menus and buttons are also available in Kazakh. Practice is always in English.