Many apps call the language Tagalog, so search for both names. The apps below differ in where your words come from: a list the app gives you, sentences you read, or cards you make yourself. They also differ in how they review the words and whether the sentence and audio stay with each word. For a full course, see our Filipino apps comparison, and for reading and listening, see our Filipino comprehensible input comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Filipino. You learn from Filipino you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Filipino 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 review them in new contexts without flashcards. You can also export them to Anki.
- Save a Filipino word from a lesson and it comes back inside new Filipino lessons.
- Ask Poppy to explain a Filipino sentence in English, or to write a lesson about a topic you pick.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum cannot turn your own book or article into a lesson, so words you want from other texts need another app.
- 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™
Mobile
Drops
Drops teaches Tagalog through short picture games. Favorites, Dojo, Quiz, and Word Collection let you review words you have seen, and Premium removes the time limit.
- Drops has a Tagalog course made of illustrated words and phrases with audio.
- Free play lasts 5 minutes every 10 hours.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk groups Tagalog words into topics and tests you with recall games. You can record yourself and compare your voice with the speaker's.
- uTalk has a Tagalog course with recordings of native speakers saying each word and phrase.
- The starter words are free, and a perfect game score can unlock another topic.
MobileWeb
LingQ
LingQ keeps each saved word linked to the text you read, so you see it in its sentence when you review. Premium removes the caps and adds offline use.
- LingQ has a Tagalog library of texts with matching audio, and you can import your own.
- Tap a word you do not know, and it joins your saved words for review.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- ClozemasterFill in the missing word in Tagalog sentences with English translations, and review sentences you have seen. Playing is free, and Pro unlocks more practice.
- AnkiFlashcards you make yourself, with your own words, sentences, images, and audio, reviewed on a schedule. The desktop app is free, and the iPhone app is a one-time purchase.
- QuizletType or paste your own Filipino words into flashcards and practice tests. Its free app has paid Plus features, and shared sets need checking before you trust them.
Each number is how many languages the app's US iPhone App Store listing shows, and Bubblegum's number is the languages you can use its menus in. Lessons and explanations may be offered in fewer.
| App | Where Words Come From | How You Review | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | 76 | Full list
|
| Drops | Topics in the app | Favorites, Dojo, Quiz, and Word Collection | 16 | Full list |
| uTalk | Topics in the app | Recall games and recording yourself | 1 | Full list |
| LingQ | Texts you read or import | Saved words reviewed on a schedule | 17 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | Sentences in the app | Fill-in-the-word review | 39 | Full list |
| Anki | Cards you make | Scheduled flashcards | 34 | Full list |
| Quizlet | Cards you make | Flashcards and practice tests | 17 | Full list |
Which Filipino vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Filipino, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. To start with a ready-made word list, add Drops, which teaches Tagalog words with pictures and audio and has a free daily session.
Do these apps keep the sentence for each word?
LingQ keeps a saved word tied to the text you read, and Clozemaster teaches words inside whole sentences. Bubblegum brings your saved words back in new lessons, with new sentences each time. In Anki and Quizlet, a card holds what you or the set's maker put into it.
Can I use a ready-made Anki or Quizlet deck for Filipino?
You can search for shared decks and sets, but anyone can make them, so check the spelling and meanings before you study. Making your own cards from words you meet in lessons puts you in charge of the spelling and meaning, and it still pays to check them.
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
- Drops: Learn Tagalog
- Drops: Free vs Premium
- Drops: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Learn Tagalog
- uTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- LingQ: Learn Tagalog
- LingQ: Free vs Premium
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: Tagalog sentence lists
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Anki: download and manual
- Anki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
