Speechling App Review šŸ¦œ Should I Download It?

The Ins and Outs of Speechling; Is This App for You this 2023?

Speechling Review: 8/10
Speechling is a great app that focuses on speaking; actually using the language. It’s a great addition to other resources for those that want to practice speech and have feedback from native speakers.

Learning a new language is never easy. One of the hardest things to grasp (you know, besides vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, and whatnot) is pronunciation.

More and more language-learning apps pop up every day, but not every one focuses on pronunciation.

Speechling does (it specializes in that, in fact).

Even so, is it actually good? Hereā€™s what LTL thinks of Speechling.

We only tried their Chinese (Simplified) curriculum, although all languages presumably follow similar teaching methods.

Speechling Review 1 // Intro & Key Stats

Speechling Review 2 // Pros & Cons

Speechling Review 3 // Price (subscription)

Speechling Review 4 // What is Speechling?

Speechling Review 5 // How do I Use Speechling?

Speechling Review 6 // The Curriculum

Speechling Review 7 // Free Or Premium?

Speechling Review 8 // List of Languages Offered (13)

Speechling Review 9 // Final Thoughts

Speechling Review 10 // Where to Download

Speechling Review 11 // FAQs


Speechling Review // Key Info

NiĆŗ Chinese Key Stats

NameSpeechling
DescriptionSpeechlingĀ uses spaced repetition and sophisticated algorithms to let our users practice from thousands of sentences with real human voices from both genders.” (Speechling)
Websitehttps://speechling.com/
No. of Languages Offered13 (limited on app platforms)
Price19.99 / 23.99 / 29.99 USD per month
Speechling Key Stats

Speechling Review // Pros & Cons

Speechling ProsSpeechling Cons
1. Emphasis on free availability; 10 sessions per month are still free + the whole free curriculum! 1. Free version doesn’t include premium content and limits to only 10 sessions per month.
2. Emphasis on speech with real & personalised feedback from native speakers.2. Would be great for more, lesser-known languages to be offered (currently only the most popular languages).
3. Simple curriculum to follow on a website that’s nicely laid out. 3. Limited content for an advanced audience.
Speechling Pros & Cons

Speechling Review // Price

Speechling is a free app that offers all of its content for free. However, the premium subscription gives you access to premium lessons as well as 1-on-1 tutoring.

Speechling PremiumCost (USD)
Monthly (for one year)19.99
Monthly (for 3 months)23.99
Monthly (monthly renewal)29.99
Speechling Premium Cost (2023)

Speechling Review // What is Speechling?

In short, Speechling is an online educational service, a non-profit based in the U.S.

They have a website and is available for download on both Android and iOS.

Speechling specializes in online speech tutoring, though they offer a cohesive curriculum in reading and writing as well.

Specifically, their audio recordings are recorded by real people in an effort to provide students with a more real education about what languages sound like. (This is elaborated upon more on their White Paper page.)

In summary, their entire curriculum is geared towards speech.

Speechling Review // How Do I use Speechling?

Speechling app
Speechling app

Speechlingā€™s website is very intuitive and user-friendly ā€” the design makes sense, and itā€™s also pleasing to the eye.

Their app falls subpar in comparison to the website, but itā€™s still good and helpful for on-the-go learning.

Furthermore, their curriculum is split into numerous modules from Beginner to Expert.

There are also different foundations such as “Nouns” and “Verbs“, and themes (aka “Phrasebooks”) such as “Asking for Help” and “Weather”.

As its name suggests, Speechling focuses on speech. This is done mainly through ā€œSpeechling Conversationsā€.

Speechling Conversations

For all three options, you get around 10 seconds (this is extended if you get premium) to answer a question, describe an image, or say anything you want.

Within 24 hours, your assigned coach will provide you feedback on where you can improve.

Their curriculum is also centred around speech and will be elaborated upon later.

Additionally, Speechling has a search option, where users can search for characters or phrases.

Related sentences pop up afterwards.

Sentences are spoken in Chinese by both male and female voices; offered in pinyin, Hanzi, and English; and can be recorded by the user for pronunciation comparison and speech coaching.

Example of Speechling search function. "How are you?"
Example of Speechling search function

Given that, “Search” is less of a dictionary and more about the application of vocabulary.

Your progress is visualized in “Skill Tree”, which is broken down into different sections.

Speechling also offers an user guide on its website.

Speechling Review // The Curriculum

Speechlingā€™s curriculum is presented in their ā€œToolboxā€, and is broken down into five categories:

  • Dictation Practice: Type what you hear.
  • Listening Practice: Practice your skills.
  • Flashcards: Build your vocabulary.
  • Multiple Choice Quiz: Test yourself on your progress.
  • Fill In The Blank: Learn in context.

Dictation Practice: Type what you hear.

After playing a short audio recording of a Chinese sentence, you type out a transcript of what they said.

Speechling Dictation Practice. Module: Beginner 1. "那ę˜Æ谁ļ¼Ÿā€œ
Speechling Dictation Practice. Module: Beginner 1.

Listening Practice: Practice your skills.

Speechling plays a sentence in Chinese and English in order to help you practice your comprehension skills.

You can also record the sentence after to compare your pronunciation and send to your speech coach if you want.

Flashcards: Build your vocabulary.

Speechling plays a Chinese sentence, and underneath is its written form.

ā€œFlashcardsā€ tests if you understood what the audio said, which is translated in English.

In particular, “Flashcards” is broken down into three study modes:

  • Speak: You repeat the sentence in Chinese.
  • Understand: Select ‘Easy’, ‘Okay’, or ‘Hard’ based off how much you comprehend. The sentence will be recycled later depending on how much you understand.
  • Lecture: Speechling plays the sentence in Chinese.

Multiple Choice Quiz: Test yourself on your progress.

Speechling plays a Chinese sentence, and itā€™s also written out.

You choose the correct English translation; this is essentially the same idea as ā€œFlashcardsā€, though this time the English counterpart is presented as a multiple-choice quiz.

Speechling Multiple Choice Questions. Module: Expert 1.
Speechling Multiple Choice Questions. Module: Expert 1.

Fill In The Blank: Learn in context.

In this exercise, Speechling presents a partial sentence, and you have to type the character that fits in the blank.

The sentence is also translated into English.

As a side note, I found ā€œFill In The Blankā€ to be hardest but most helpful as it requires more reading comprehension than other exercises. There isnā€™t Chinese pinyin here and because Chinese grammar isnā€™t always reflected in English grammar, ā€œFill In The Blankā€ meant more reading and understanding actual Chinese characters. Which Iā€™m bad at.

Speechling Fill In The Blank. Module: Restaurant.
Speechling Fill In The Blank. Module: Restaurant.

Speechling Review // Free Or Premium?

Speechling Skill Tree. iOS app.

Like most apps, Speechling is a freemium service; they offer free learning tools that can be upgraded for access to more.

Unlike many other apps, Speechlingā€™s free tools are actually quite extensive.

Speechling emphasizes its ā€œfreeā€ online speech tutoring.

Their website says that even for free, students are given 10Ā coaching sessions per month.

These coaching sessions are with real teachers who give feedback within 24 hours.

Regardless, users still get full access to their curriculum comprised of flashcards and quizzes without paying.

The main selling point of their premium program, which costs $19.99 per month, is their ā€œunlimited, personal, 1-on-1 coachingā€.

For more avid language learners, 10 sessions per month are not enough.

If you don’t want more than a few coaching lessons per month, then their free version should be enough.

Speechling Review // List of Languages (13)

Below is a list of languages offered by Speechling.

  1. French
  2. German
  3. Italian
  4. Spanish
  5. Spanish (Latin America)
  6. Chinese (Simplified)
  7. Chinese (Traditional)
  8. Portuguese
  9. English (UK)
  10. English (US)
  11. Russian
  12. Japanese
  13. Korean

Speechling Review // Final Thoughts

Speechling’s website is well-designed ā€” some educational platforms tend to favour good design over clear explanations of vocabulary, for instance, which is nice to look at but unhelpful for learning a new language.

Speechling ensures that language learning is still the priority.

Speechling Conversations. iOS app.

Regarding the educational material itself, Speechling is likely better for beginners and intermediate learners, as it seems to be geared towards them more.

The more advanced your language ability becomes, the more likely youā€™ll need more personalized teaching.

Speechling offers this to some degree, but not enough.

Another key point you should keep in mind is that most (if not all) language learning apps arenā€™t meant to build fluency but to build a foundation.

Becoming truly fluent requires a lot more tailored learning that likely extends beyond just the Internet.

Speechling is a good option for building a foundation, and then some.

Overall, I would recommend Speechling. It emphasizes its speech tutoring, and for good reason ā€” many services often lack this, and Speechling understands that pronunciation is frequently a difficult part of learning a new language.

For Chinese especially, mixing up tones can completely change the meaning of the sentence.

The caveat of this? You have to wait for your feedback to come in, and you donā€™t get a notification when it does (at least I didnā€™t).

Speechling requires some form of commitment where you have to come back a day later and actually check how you did. It understandably doesnā€™t offer immediate feedback, so itā€™s easy to record your sentence and forget to come back to it.

For those who want to learn faster, thereā€™s no instantaneous way to check your pronunciation the way some other apps do (albeit with limited accuracy).

It all depends on what you prioritize.

Tell us what you think of this blog in the comments below! šŸ‘‡

Speechling // Where to Download

You can use Speechling on Desktop, iOS, or Android.

Note: some languages may not be available on the apps compared to the desktop version.

iOS

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/speechling-learn-any-language/id1239983313

Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.speechling.speechling&hl=en&gl=US

Speechling // FAQs

What is Speechling? Where do I download it?

Speechling is an online educational service that focuses on pronunciation and speech.

They have a website and Android and iOS apps.

Can I learn Chinese on Speechling?

You can! They offer both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, as well as multiple other languages.

Is Speechling free?

Speechling is free for the most part; many of their services are accessible without membership.

With premium ($19.99/month), you’d get unlimited speech coaching sessions amongst other things.

Even so, the app is still very usable without premium.

Can I become fluent with Speechling?

You can learn a lot of Chinese with Speechling, but you probably won’t become fluent, if I’m being honest.

Then again, remember that it’s incredibly difficult to become fluent with only an app in the first place.

Most apps are designed to provide people with a foundation (and then some), not gain fluency as it requires a lot more personalized lessons.

Should I download Speechling?

You only get a very limited number of free speech coaching sessions per month, but all in all, Speechling offers a lot even when it’s free.

For those who want to improve their pronunciation and accent, Speechling would be a good choice!

Want more from LTL?

We offer a 7 day free trial to all new students where you can study Mandarin 24/7. Come and check it out free of charge and see what you think.

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3 comments

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  1. Xequeo
    Reply

    I am not "Speechless" with Speechling ! 24 hours for an answer (just a sentence) is a no-no... The focus on "oral" is not about real conversations, but repeating and recording sentences... DĆ©jĆ  vu ! Being free and the good tools for exercising make however Speechling interesting.

  2. Speechling is great, but the interface is too complex and there are too many options

    1. Max Hobbs
      Reply

      Thanks for commenting Mark