The best Finnish vocabulary app depends on where your words come from. LingQ saves words from Finnish texts you read, Clozemaster puts each word in a sentence, Drops and uTalk give you topic lists, Memrise holds word lists from other learners, and Anki holds cards you write yourself. This page compares how each app gets words to you and how it brings them back. For courses, tutors and speaking, see our Finnish app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Finnish. You learn from Finnish you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Finnish 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 meet them in new contexts.
- Ask Poppy why a Finnish word has the ending it has in a sentence you can't follow.
- Words you save in Finnish lessons come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki with example sentences.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your favorite Finnish novel into a lesson. But Poppy will explain a page you screenshot or paste.
- 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
LingQ
LingQ fits Finnish learners who already own texts or recordings. Import them, tap the words you don't know, and those words go into spaced review.
- Tap an unfamiliar word in a Finnish text and save it as a LingQ.
- The Finnish library pairs texts with audio, and the app tracks which Finnish words you know and which you are still learning.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster is the pick when you want to see how a Finnish word sits in a whole sentence, case ending included. Tatoeba supplies the sentences and translations.
- The Finnish course for English speakers fills a gap in a sentence, with the English translation beside it.
- Sentences you have seen come back later at spaced intervals.
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops teaches Finnish in short topic sessions, such as food or travel, and every word comes with a picture. The word sets are Drops' own.
- The Finnish course gives each word a picture and its audio.
- Games review the Finnish words you have studied.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk splits Finnish into topics of words and phrases. After you listen, recall games ask for the words again at a harder level.
- The Finnish course pairs topic words and phrases with native-speaker recordings.
- You can record yourself and compare with the supplied audio.
MobileWeb
Memrise
Memrise has a Finnish section built from learner-made word lists. You pick a list, and the words come back in review.
- The Finnish page describes word lists made by other users, and you can build your own lists.
- The page offers personalized review and tests.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- FinnSanaIts Word bank and your own My words show a picture, sound, example and word family on each Finnish card, with standard and spoken Finnish examples. The app is free to download with no ads.
- AnkiPut any Finnish word or sentence on a card, with sound or a picture, and review it on a schedule set by SM-2 or FSRS.
- QuizletMake flashcard sets or pick shared ones, then use its learning and test modes. A shared set is only as good as its author.
In Anki and Quizlet you can write your own cards, typing the Finnish and the English meaning yourself. Finnish words change their endings in a sentence, so a card that holds only one form does not show you the others. Desktop Anki and AnkiWeb sync are free. AnkiMobile on iPhone is a one-time purchase, and Android uses the separate AnkiDroid app. For help setting up decks, read Is Anki good for language learning?.
| App | Word source | Review | Sentence and audio | Finnish course | English help | Free boundary | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Finnish journey | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro | iOS, Android |
| LingQ | Text and audio you import | Spaced repetition | Matching text and audio | Finnish course page | Partly | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons | iOS, web |
| Clozemaster | Sentences with a gap | Review of sentences you saw | Translation and audio modes | Finnish from English sentence lists | Yes | Free to start; Pro unlocks unlimited practice | iOS, web |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Games on studied words | Pictures and audio | Finnish course page | English menu | 5 minutes every 10 hours | iOS |
| uTalk | Topics made by uTalk | Recall games | Native recordings and your own recordings | Finnish course page | Yes | Starter words and one unlockable topic are free; the rest is paid | iOS, web |
| Memrise | Word lists from other learners | Personalized review and tests | Not confirmed for Finnish | Finnish word lists | Yes | Free plan; Pro adds more | Web |
| FinnSana | Word bank and your own words | Flip a card, then pick one of four buttons | Picture, sound, example, word family | Finnish word bank | Yes | Free to download, no ads; 20 of your own words included, some content is Plus-only | iOS, Android |
| 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 | iOS, Android, web, computer |
| Quizlet | Sets you make or pick | Study and test modes | Whatever the set holds | Whatever you type | Your own sets | Free flashcards; Quizlet Plus is paid | iOS, web |
To pick up words from reading and listening first, see our Finnish comprehensible input app comparison. For vocabulary methods in any language, see vocabulary apps compared.
Which Finnish vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Finnish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose Drops for a ready-made picture list. Choose Anki if you want to make cards from the Finnish you meet.
Can I keep the sentence a Finnish word came from?
LingQ lessons pair each Finnish text with audio, and you tap a word in the text to save it. An Anki card carries its sentence only if you add it. In Clozemaster the sentence is the exercise.
Can I build my own Finnish word list?
Anki and Quizlet let you write your own cards. FinnSana lets you add your own words next to its Word bank, each with a meaning, a word type and an optional picture. Drops and uTalk teach from sets they made, and Memrise from lists other learners made.
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
- AnkiMobile: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Anki manual: scheduling and cards
- Drops: Finnish course
- Drops: what's free
- Memrise: Finnish word lists
- Clozemaster: FAQ
- Clozemaster: Pro features
- LingQ: learn Finnish
- LingQ: what's free
- uTalk: Finnish course
- FinnSana: Finnish vocabulary app
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing
- Bubblegum
- Clozemaster
- uTalk
