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Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Phrasing.app

Hello HN - Over the last few years, I've been building an app to learn languages. It supports ~85 languages and ~40 dialects, and is optimized for learning and maintaining multiple languages. Learning a language is a ton of work, but really quite simple. Find text you're interested in, dissect and understand it, and review it often. Grind that every day for a few years, and you'll be fluent. So I built Phrasing for 4 main reasons: 1. To have an app I would actually be excited to use every single day for years. 2. To do all the research, explanation, prioritization, course planning and…

Phrasing is a language learning app supporting approximately 85 languages and 40 dialects. It is designed for people who want to learn and maintain multiple languages simultaneously using a text-based approach: finding… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1PL

    Hey there HN - Today I'm sharing a demo of my our language learning tool, Phrasing. It's a tool born from the language acquisition hypothesis, too many hours in an anki slog, and a strange desire to always be learning obscure languages. The method is simple: 1. type in a show 2. learn the most important words 3. watch the show/acquire the words 4. review the words when needed in the future. On top of that, we're trying to: - do some novel things with spaced repetition (no more anki slog) - expand the sort of content you can learn from (I want to to refresh my French by reading The…

    2024 · phrasing.app · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Hi! Wanted to share the project I really wanted to have. TLDR; this app lets you create your own list of words and you get a Duolingo-like experience (kind of, still needs a lot of features) practicing those words in their context. My English is not the best but not the worst either. But I realized I can't boost it up after a certain level! In my belief, in order to truly learn a language, you need to be exposed to that language often. Vocabulary is the key factor here if you really want to improve in any language. My experience is that when I read a book to improve my English vocabulary, I…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3GA

    Hi HN, For over two years I've been working on an App to learn languages (currently French, Italian and Spanish), together with my partner, a language teacher. I think it is finally ready to share with this community! The idea is to introduce vocabulary and grammar whilst you read eBooks in your own language. I've found that it is easier to remember vocabulary 'in context' and with regular repetition. Plus you don't have to carve out dedicated time for language learning. Other apps require you to build a habit around various exercises or ‘games’, whereas lots of people already read books.…

    2024 · glossarie.app · its alternatives →

  4. 4
    TalkMe▲558

    Personal AI tutoring makes language learning fun & effective

    2025 · talkme.ai · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Learn the most common 1000 words of popular languages

    2020 · mostcommonwords.co · its alternatives →

  6. 6LA

    Hi guys, Hope everyone is well. This app was borne out of my own frustration. I thought that I was terrible at learning languages at school, since I didn't become conversational in French after 5 years of study. However, I later traveled with some French friends and, in just under 3 weeks, I was able to hold a reasonable conversation. I realized that there's no substitute for speaking to native speakers. I tried to adopt this approach for other languages, but it's much harder to find people to practise with when you aren't travelling. I started using iTalki to meet people from different…

    2023 · prettypolly.app · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    Wordwise▲114

    Hey HN, While learning Danish, I kept translating the same words over and over. I’d take notes, highlight books, save things in random places… then lose track of it all. I wanted something simple. Translate a word, save it with context, and review it later so it actually sticks. Nothing I found really did that. So I built my own app. It lets you: - Translate and save words instantly - Add notes, tags, example sentences, gender, even emojis - Review everything with flashcards using spaced repetition - Track how many words you’ve really learned - Use it fully offline with on-device ML Kit…

    2025 · getwordwise.app · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Wordy▲231

    Hey HN, I'm Sándor. I built Wordy because I kept pausing Netflix to look up words in a dictionary. So I made a subtitle tool for myself, and it kind of snowballed from there. What it does: You watch short clips from real movies and TV shows, then get quizzed on the vocabulary you just heard. The app tracks every word automatically and adapts to your level. 20+ languages. How it evolved: Started as an iOS app for interactive streaming subtitles. Then I added curated video clips with quizzes. Then vocabulary tracking, spaced repetition, and personalized learning paths. Now it's iOS + Android +…

    Feb 2026 · wordy.info · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Hey HN, it’s been 8 years since I posted on here about the launch of my Japanese dictionary app Nihongo [0] and I’m finally back with a new app: Nihongo Lessons! Think of Nihongo Lessons as the textbook to Nihongo’s dictionary. It’s an app for learning Japanese, specifically made for learners who are serious about becoming fluent, and want a guided set of content that will help them efficiently acquire vocabulary and grammar. The project came about when Adam Shapiro of Japanese Level Up (Jalup) [1] announced last April that he was shutting Jalup down. As a fan of Adam’s work I was bummed to…

    2022 · lessons.nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10IB

    Hello Hacker News, When learning foreign languages, I made the most progress by speaking them throughout the day, every day. So I made a site where you can *speak* to an AI language teacher to practice both listening and speaking. # The product *What I have now:* * Multilingual speech recognition: You can ask a question in English and get an answer in your target language. * Feedback on your grammar. * Suggestions: See examples of what to say next to keep the conversation flowing. * Speed: Choose a lower speed for beginners or a faster one for advanced levels. * Translations: Click to see a…

    2023 · gliglish.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11LC

    Hey folks! I'm Callum, and I'm working on a way to practice a new language with an AI powered tutor. I've always found that the hardest part of learning a new language is finding someone to actually converse with. Even if a partner can be found, the pressure can mean that you are more focused on not making mistakes than on actually learning new grammar or vocabulary. The service that I have been working on allows you to practice with a language tutor via online chat messages, or you can have a turn-based voice conversation. I'm working on a number of other features that will be coming out…

    2023 · learnlingo.dev · its alternatives →

  12. 12
    lwlnow▲167

    I’m thrilled to introduce lwlnow, a web app designed to assist language learners in enhancing their listening, vocabulary, and writing skills through dictation-based practice—a technique that is both versatile and impactful. Why we developed it: Most language apps focus on passive learning or game-like memorization techniques. However, true fluency emerges when you train your brain to understand native speech and respond accurately. Dictation stands out as one of the most effective yet underappreciated methods for skill-building: You listen to a native sentence. You type exactly what you…

    2025 · lwlnow.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Learn more than 20 languages

    2024 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Hi HN, Just wanted to share a tool i've been working on to help with my own study routine. It’s a browser extension called Lingoku. The idea is simple: we spend hours browsing the web in English every day. This tool replaces some of the english words with Japanese vocabulary based on your japanese level (Similar to Toucan, but with a better user experience). It’s basically an attempt to make the "i+1" method actually passive, you understand the sentence because it's mostly english, but you pick up Japanese words naturally from the context. It uses an LLM in the backend to make sure the…

    Dec 2025 · lingoku.ai · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    Hi HN, I’m Pablo, I built this application to learn languages using podcasts: https://www.langturbo.com (No signup required) There are a lot of tools to learn languages, but most of them focus on beginners (understandably so, that’s where the money is) but not many exist that target intermediate or advanced learners. The ones that exist make you find content on your own and then import that into their apps, which can be tricky when you don’t know where to look. LangTurbo has a unique curated database of podcasts by language (some even have dialect labels) that you can browse by…

    2025 · langturbo.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    I'm Tim. I speak German, English, French, Turkish, and Chinese. I learned Turkish with lairner itself -- after I built it. That's the best proof I can give you that this thing actually works. The other four I learned the hard way: talking to people, making mistakes, reading things I actually cared about, and being surrounded by the language until my brain gave in. Every language app I tried got the same thing wrong: they teach you to pass exercises, not to speak. You finish a lesson, you get your dopamine hit, you maintain your streak, and six months later you still can't order food in the…

    Feb 2026 · lairner.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17AP

    Hi everyone - I'm not a serious language learner but I've been enjoying learning phrases I can use when I travel, at restaurants, around people in public, etc. Let me know if you find it useful or what might make it useful for you!

    2024 · fluent.monster · its alternatives →

  18. 18IB

    2022 · vocab.ling-academy.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19
    Blarma▲81

    Build vocabulary - learn words & languages with techniques

    2022 · blarma.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Instant drafts of high quality blog posts, using AI

    2023 · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    Soofy▲79

    Practice with AI and advance your language learning

    2023 · bubble.io · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Hey there! Out of the necessity to teach my son a new language, I developed an app just for him. After months of use and realizing how effective it was, I decided to make it available to the public. Now, I’m looking for your support, feedback, and possibly help in reaching potential customers. Take a look and let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

    2024 · voiczy.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23IB
  24. 24HC

    Hi HN! Fernando here. A few months ago [1], I shared Hupreter (https://hupreter.com) with you all and now I am finally opening it up so that everyone can try it for free. The goal is to let users create apps and process data effortlessly, by just describing what the computer should do, in spoken English. We have made a lot of progress since the first post, and even though it is far from perfect, I really want to see how people use it and get feedback. In terms of creating apps, it supports persisting data (you can store/retrieve values), if statements, while loops, etc. For…

    2021 · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →