Memrise

Claiming to be a “fun, interactive way to learn new languages, Memrise is a new generation of apps that allow you to learn new languages on the trot. The app’s interface is quite simplistic, to the point of being minimalist, but does not seem like an understatement that could have been better. The free version of Memrise offers a brilliantly simple, fun and effective way of memorising that new language using addictive gameplay.

The app is fantastic in a way, that it offers tutoring on over 100+ languages and nearly half a million courses that let you prepare for everything, from that conversation to a street vendor on your Thai holiday, to writing a language exam, to preparing for your SAT’s, GRE and GCSEs, IBACs and a lot more.

The app has a fun interface, and I started off on a kick to learn Italian. While the app is quite similar to other language teaching apps in that it uses picture association in combination with auditory supplementation to teach words, phrases and sounds by association, Memrise takes this to another level by employing engaging exercises to teach you the correct spelling as well by pictorial association. It also allows you to log in to Facebook, to connect and challenge yourself with your friends, share information easily and work on common goals. Another fun feature that I have truly enjoyed is the trivia challenge, and other simple games that help you improve your general knowledge, geography, history and other subject skills. The app lets you enrol in multiple courses, and allows you to switch between each when one particular course becomes a bit too much to handle at that point. Amazing when you think that it literally costs you next to nothing (apart from a bit on your data bill, of course; but hey, there’s no free lunches in this world). This has by default, become my go-to-app for any little bit of information, from HTML coding to a bit of general trivia. The app is free to download on both Appstores, on devices running Android 2.3 and up, and iOS 7 and up.