The best Arabic vocabulary app depends on where you want your words to come from. LingQ saves the words from Arabic texts you read, Drops and uTalk give you word sets they made, and Anki holds cards you write yourself. This page compares how each app gets words to you, how it brings them back, and what stays free. For courses, tutors and speaking, see our Arabic app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Arabic. You learn from Arabic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Modern Standard Arabic lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- A separate Arabic alphabet course is there if you can't read the script yet.
- Ask Poppy to explain an Arabic sentence in English while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Arabic Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- You can't turn a whole Arabic novel into a lesson. But Poppy will explain a passage you paste or a page you photograph.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches the Arabic Alphabet
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who already have Arabic texts and audio to import. Tap each word you can't read yet while you go, and it joins your review.
- Tap an unfamiliar Arabic word in a lesson and save it as a LingQ.
- Saved words are reviewed with spaced repetition, next to the text and audio they came from.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops hands you Arabic words topic by topic: a picture, the audio and a short game for each one. It suits visual learners who want a list that is already made.
- Each Arabic word comes with a picture and its audio.
- Favorites and Quiz bring back words you have already met.
Mobile
Memrise
Pick an Arabic wordlist in Memrise and its words move through learning and review activities. A tap on any word shows its meaning and an example.
- Pick an Arabic wordlist and review its words on a schedule.
- Word Information shows meanings, examples and native-speaker clips where available.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk teaches Arabic in topics. Each word shows with its English meaning, and the recall games after it get harder.
- The Arabic course is Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha), and other Arabic dialects are separate courses.
- Record yourself and compare your voice with native speaker audio.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster puts each Arabic word inside a full sentence, so you see the words around it. It has translation and audio modes.
- You fill in the missing Arabic word in a sentence, then see that sentence again later.
- Its sentences and translations come from Tatoeba.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
- AnkiBuild a card for any Arabic word or sentence and attach sound or a picture. You type the Arabic and the meaning yourself, and the cards return on an SM-2 or FSRS schedule. Desktop Anki and AnkiWeb sync are free, and AnkiMobile on iPhone is a one-time purchase. For help setting up decks, read [Is Anki good for language learning?](/blog/is-anki-good-for-language-learning).
- QuizletCreate your own Arabic flashcard set or open one that another learner shared. Basic flashcards are free, and Quizlet Plus is paid.
| App | Word source | Review | Sentence and audio | Arabic variety | English help | Free boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Modern Standard Arabic | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| LingQ | Text and audio you import | Spaced repetition | Matching text and audio | Mixed library | Yes | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Favorites, Quiz, Word Collection | Pictures and audio | Not stated | Yes | 5 minutes every 10 hours |
| Memrise | Wordlists | Scheduled review | Examples and speaker clips where available | Not stated | Yes | Limited free plan, Pro is paid |
| Clozemaster | Sentences with a gap | Review of sentences you saw | Translation and audio modes | Not stated | Yes | Free to start; Pro adds more |
| uTalk | Topics made by uTalk | Recall games | Native audio and your own recordings | Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) | Yes | Free starter words and one more topic at 100%; the rest is paid |
| Anki | Cards you make | SM-2 or FSRS | Only if the card has them | Whatever you type | Your own cards | Desktop and AnkiWeb free; AnkiMobile paid once |
| Quizlet | Sets you make or share | Learning and test modes | Only if the set has them; Quizlet can read terms aloud | Whatever you type | Your own cards | Basic flashcards free; Plus is paid |
If you read Arabic before you save words, our Arabic comprehensible input app comparison covers reading and listening apps. If you cannot read the Arabic alphabet yet, start with the Arabic course.
Which Arabic vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Arabic, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Drops is the pick if you want a picture list that is already made, and Anki is the pick if you want to build cards from the Arabic you meet.
Do these apps teach Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect?
uTalk names its course Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) and sells other dialects as separate courses. LingQ's Arabic library mixes varieties. Drops, Memrise and Clozemaster do not name a variety on their Arabic pages, so listen to a few words before you commit.
Can I keep the sentence an Arabic word came from?
In LingQ the saved word comes back with its context, and in Clozemaster the word never leaves its sentence. An Anki card holds the sentence only if you type it in. Drops shows a word with a picture and audio instead of a sentence.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- LingQ: what's free
- LingQ: learn Arabic
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Drops: learn Arabic
- Drops: what's free
- Drops: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Memrise: Arabic course
- Memrise: help and FAQ
- Memrise: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: expand Arabic vocabulary
- Clozemaster: FAQ
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Arabic course
- uTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- AnkiMobile: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Anki: what's free
- Anki manual: scheduling and cards
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
