The thing that kept me going the longest was the daily learning streak, but I am not getting value from the app anymore. This isn’t a formal review of the Duolingo app; these are just my thoughts. I plan on making my account private before deleting the app off my phone and logging out completely. That way, I’m not letting down anyone who was previously completing weekly challenges with me. Some of the contacts I had on Duolingo are also my blogger friends on WordPress. ✌️💕
Duolingo has been a popular language learning app for years, and I finally decided to try it back in December 2022. I even found a way to get it for free, which saved me hundreds of dollars. It offered the features I needed, and although there were a few things I couldn’t unlock with the free version, I had unlimited lives, which meant unlimited hours of learning.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
So what went wrong? Over time, I realized that it was not the best way to learn a new language. I was learning German at the time but eventually started repeating earlier lessons just to keep the daily learning streak going. I liked that the app had a gamified approach to learning, using a streak system and allowing us to win challenges with other Duolingo learners in the community, but it became too addictive and repetitive for the wrong reasons. My biggest gripe was that it ultimately fell short in providing a comprehensive learning experience. Here are my 3 biggest reasons why:
1. Duolingo Will Keep You Hostage Until You Leave.
A major issue I have with Duolingo is that the app keeps you hostage and tied to their daily streaks until you delete it for good. Not only that, but you can temporarily freeze your streaks if you miss a day or two. I should have lost my daily streak months ago, but because of that, my streak kept going, and I felt obligated to do useless Duolingo lessons just to maintain it. Personally, I found that Duolingo’s bite-sized lessons and constant push for maintaining streaks made learning a language feel like a chore or a game to be won, rather than a rewarding journey.
2. Grinding XP is a Waste of Time.
The leaderboards were fun initially, and I managed to reach the Diamond League. Although I never placed first in the Diamond League, at this point, I couldn’t care less. Similar to daily streaks, grinding for XP is also a colossal waste of time due to the gamification of this app. I used to spend every waking hour on Duolingo grinding for XP, but I honestly don’t have the time or energy anymore to even try and compete in the leagues.
3. Memorization Just Isn’t Enough.
The third issue I have with Duolingo is that it focusses too heavily on translation exercises and sheer memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules. Not only that, but the translations can be funny or plain weird lol I couldn’t help but chuckle multiple times at some of the words and sentences. While the fundamentals of German vocabulary and grammar are important, it doesn’t adequately prepare you for real-world conversations and immersive language learning. Unfortunately, the Duolingo app lacks opportunities for practicing real-time speaking, listening comprehension, and cultural context – all crucial components in order or someone to become proficient in a language. I haven’t personally used Rosetta Stone, but I heard that the program does a slightly better job at language immersion.
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥
While Duolingo may serve as a decent supplementary tool, relying solely on it is unlikely to lead to true language mastery. I’ve realized that deleting the Duolingo app and using additional language learning methods, such as taking classes, conversing with native speakers, and consuming authentic media would be a better use of my time if I were to continue learning German. That being said, I am not traveling to Germany anytime soon and I plan on taking a break from learning a second language for now. I currently have a 477-day streak, but once I publish this blog post, I will delete the app, and my streak will reset in a couple of days. I am at peace with this decision as I feel it is for the best. Btw I took this screenshot a few days ago before switching my account to private mode.
And one more thing, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use this app. All I’m saying is maybe use Duolingo as an additional method of learning and not as the Holy Grail when learning a new language. On a slightly unrelated note, I feel that kids could benefit from Duolingo Math and Music, which are newer additions to the language learning app, so I recommend checking those out for any parents whose kids respond well to this style of learning.
Thanks for stopping by! ♥
Helpful review! I haven’t tried Duolingo but I wouldn’t mind brushing up on my Spanish and possibly taking on another language. I was recommended Buusu as a better alternative to Duolingo, so consider checking it out. I’ll look into it soon myself
It doesn’t hurt to give Duolingo a try if you enjoy gamified learning. Whatever you do, don’t pay for a subscription.
I’ve heard of Buusu and looked into it at one point, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t free and required a subscription. I could be wrong though. Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
I can relate. Duolingo does the same thing to me too and I am currently just keeping my streak because I feel like I have to.
I remember I had to turn off the leaderboards because they were giving me stress😂.
Exactly this. It got to the point where I couldn’t break my streak unless I deleted the app completely because I’m OCD and HAVE to do a mindless exercise daily just to keep the streak going. I turned off leaderboards in the beginning but I still had to complete the daily streak, so the app kept holding me hostage. It’s been a couple of days now and I don’t miss Duolingo yet. The ominous owl is off my phone and he’s gonna stay off of my phone.
I agree with your points. I used Duo for Turkish years ago and had a streak for about a year. I can’t speak a word of Turkish today, lol. I think people who are older and more experienced with apps have realized that most apps don’t have actual value.
This. This right here 🙌
You nailed it by saying “I can’t speak a word of Turkish today.” I feel the same way about Duolingo. Over time I will forget the German words… still can’t write a sentence if my life depended on it but I can regurgitate words through sheer memorization lol I’m just glad that I didn’t get an annual subscription. What a waste of money that would have been! 😅
Definitely, learning language at a class and learning on Duolingo are certainly very different
Indeed they are! As a kid I didn’t have much appreciation for German School on Saturdays but it was still a lot more immersive than the Duolingo app. Highly recommend taking a class even as an adult, given the option. At the same time, it’s always a good thing brushing up on words and phrases using Duolingo. The ominous owl will make sure you practice everyday so at least there’s that lol
ooh this is interesting because u made me want to download it lol!!! i know i probs will download and delete asap, i kind of prefer learning by watching videos or dramas in other languages and learning that way 🙂 it’s just what i think will work for me.
I hope you like this language learning app. At first it’s fun and you might find yourself addicted to it for a while. And it’s free so you really can’t go wrong with trying Duolingo! 🙂 It’s a good supplement for learning a new language along with the videos, tv shows/dramas. I highly stress the word “supplemental” 🙃
Yeah, I get what you mean. It’s a great app but not the best way to learn new language. And one thing I find a bit annoying these days is that it’s become competitive and they’re constantly introducing new things. I liked it when it first came out and was very simple to use.
It’s a fun app, I give it that. I have yet to find the perfect app that “has it all.” I never did like the competitiveness of Duolingo. For a while, it pushed me to try harder and do more but it wasn’t sustainable over time. To be honest, since deleting the Duolingo app I don’t miss it yet. 😅
I feel like I won’t miss it at all either if I delete it lol 😂
The hardest part is being able to let go of the daily steak. Your stats are very impressive btw. 👏
Yeah, I think the stats are what keep me going haha 😅
You’re hooked, line, and sinker haha 😆 As long as you have a language to learn that interests you, you’ll always be learning something new.
Lol they got me 😅 That’s true but recently the lessons feel forced.
This is a wonderful blog post and I totally understand what you mean!! 💚 I broke my streak a few months back because it felt like I was being pushed just to keep the streak, while not really retaining the information. It became more of a chore rather than a learning tool! I don’t maintain a streak anymore, but I still go on there a few times a week just to take one lesson. For me, it’s more fun that way and like you mentioned, I’m not planning on traveling to (in my case!) Sweden or anything. I just enjoy learning! And yes, some of the phrases they give are quite amusing! 🤪
I was worried about what people would think if I suddenly left without explanation. I switched mine to private so I wouldn’t let anyone down by not participating in the weekly challenges (I feel guilty for not doing them). Yes, that is exactly how I felt over time….daily exercises felt like a chore so naturally I would go back to level one and repeat those lessons just to keep the streak going. Swedish looks like a cool language. I associate Sweden with IKEA 😁 Apparently I have distant relatives who live in Sweden and would love to visit one day. Indeed, learning should be fun rather than a chore.
This is a really good read for me. I just found your website a few days ago and I have been reading through it regularly.
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I used it to see how much I remember from all those Latin classes in high school many years ago. It’s fun for that, and conversation isn’t really a thing with this language 🙂 but I dislike the leader-board pressure, and most of all I hate the fact that the free account will cut you off for a while if you make too many mistakes. That really sucks! I mean, If I make a mistake I want to fix it! Also there is never any explanation in terms of grammar, so you kind of have to guess what you are supposed ot be learning. But it’s free, so I think its a great supplement to other classes or courses. If you can stand that game aspect and the overlord that punishes you for not remembering …
A nice, good post about your personal experience. One thing several articles like yours seem to suggest is that these language courses are fun, or gamified, like play, or the like. I’ve never felt this might be the case just because they sometimes write and make me translate funny-looking phrases of sentences (and insert animated figures and use the idea of competition or collectibles for their own sakes). Those have mostly only felt stupid to me. And at times, or should I say often, there’re too many mistakes and too little explanation to me.
Very good points! It definitely lacks practicality for attempting to master a language. I more so use it as a little brain boost for the day but it has also gotten extremely repetitive at this point so I’m not sure how long I’ll keep up. Sadly you will never fully learn a language using DuoLingo alone, only as a supplement. If it’s stressing you out then absolutely delete it!
I deleted the app off my phone but my daughter wanted to use it. The app lives on. It’s under her name instead of mine. She says she wants to learn Japanese on Duolingo because her friends are learning it. I completely agree that Duolingo should be used as a supplemental tool rather than the primary thing to learn a new language.
Oh no, you can’t get away from it! 😂 that’s sweet, though!
I really can’t! They have us hook, line, and sinker haha ⚓️🙈