Duolingo is the Most Dangerous App for Untrained Language Learners
The most well-known language app poorly uses its potential
Duolingo might be the language-learning app I hate most.
Despite being the most downloaded Education app almost every year, it’s also one of the reasons so many people fail to learn a foreign language.
As Duolingo is preparing to go public, I think it’s time to set things straight. It’s time to explain the downsides of Duolingo so nobody falls prey to their marketing and lies it makes us believe.
As a polyglot who’s learned 6 languages over the past decade, I’ve played around with it countless times. I even completed the Korean course two years ago.
I’ll be as honest about its ups and downs as I can but be aware it is still only an opinion. I hope it can serve you.
Duolingo’s Study of its Results is Full of Lies
Duolingo claims it’s more useful than language University classes. It’s often said that 34 hours on Duolingo equals 1 semester of classes. On paper, it seems great. When you dig deeper, you realize the lie.
They did a study based on English learners of French and Spanish and showed that 4 semesters of classes, or about…
