People want to improve their English skills for many different reasons. Perhaps they’re learning it as a foreign language, maybe they’re trying to upskill for a job, or they just enjoy being the smartest person in the room.
Whatever the motivation may be, one effective way to enhance your English skills is by working with an English language tutor. With a tutor, you can receive personalized guidance tailored to your specific needs and goals. They can provide valuable feedback, correct your pronunciation, and help you practice conversational English in a supportive environment.
No matter what a person’s motivation for improving their English skills is, there are plenty of tools and apps to help you out. From social platforms to games, we’ve gathered together six useful tools and apps for improving your English skills.
1. Words With Friends
If you’ve ever played Scrabble, you’ll love Words With Friends. With a few subtle changes, Words With Friends is essentially a Scrabble app for mobile. You can start games with your friends and the game can stretch on for as long as it needs to.
Just like Scrabble, you get points for laying down particular letters in the right place. If you’re playing Scrabble or Words With Friends and you’re struggling for work, pull up Google and head to Unscramble, where you can input anywhere from a few letters up to 15. Within seconds, you will have all possible words organized into word lengths.
2. Memrise
Memrise takes language learning from the traditional textbook and turns it into a fun endeavor. You will find flashcards, audio clips, and much more. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner, Memrise can push you to the next level. However, you should keep in mind that this tool won’t teach you to become fluent – you’ll need real-life practice for that.
3. WordScapes
WordScapes is a fun mobile app that’s great for learning more words. You will be presented with a wheel of letters underneath a grid – a little like a crossword puzzle. All you need to do is make as many words on the wheel, using your finger.
If you get a word that fits in the grid, it’ll fill the space and you get points. Now you have a clue about what the next word is, the game gets easier. If you find words that aren’t on the grid, you get bonus points, which is always good.
4. Grammarly
As you’re writing away, it’s good to have someone there to catch your basic spelling and grammar errors. The more you make the same mistakes, the more likely you are to rectify them and improve your English skills.
There is a free and premium version of Grammarly, but free access is enough for the majority of users. Grammarly works cross-platform, meaning you can keep sounding professional whether you’re texting on your smartphone or writing essays on your laptop.
5. Tandem
Tandem is a fantastic app for sharing language schools. The idea is that you’ll be paired up with a fluent speaker of the language you wish to learn, and they’ll be looking to learn your language.
Through messaging, voice clips, and video conferencing, you can both share knowledge and help each other improve with their chosen language. As well as communicating with peers, Tandem grants you access to remote sessions with language tutors.
6. Mondly
As with many language tuition platforms, there’s a free and paid subscription to access the service. There are countless tasks within the app, which use professional-grade speech recognition to provide instant feedback.
Further, for premium users, there’s a fantastic VR experience, allowing people to practice their English skills in a “real” setting. There are countless different scenarios including trains, taxis, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and much more.
There are countless tools and apps out there to help boost your English skills. You should combine online tutorials, games, and real-life communication as part of your learning journey.
