The best Russian vocabulary app depends on where your words come from. LingQ saves words from Russian texts you read, Clozemaster puts each word in a sentence, Drops and uTalk give you topic lists, 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 Russian app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Russian. You learn from Russian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Russian 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 to explain a Russian sentence you can't follow.
- Words you save in Russian 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.
- Learn every letter in the free Russian Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- You can't turn your favorite Russian 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™
- Teaches Cyrillic
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who already have Russian texts or audio to import. The words you tap go into spaced review, and the app tracks which Russian words you know and which you are still learning.
- Read or listen to Russian, tap an unfamiliar word and save it as a LingQ.
- Russian lessons pair each text with audio, and the words you save go into spaced review.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster is the pick if you want every Russian word inside a full sentence. Tatoeba supplies the sentences and translations.
- The Russian course 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 shows each Russian word with a picture and plays its audio, one topic at a time. Drops makes the word sets.
- The Learn Russian course gives each word a picture and its audio.
- Favorites, Quiz and Word Collection let you go back over words you chose.
- Teaches Cyrillic (partly)
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk lays out each topic with the Russian word written beside its English meaning, and you can download topics to use offline.
- The Russian course page lists topics of words and phrases, each with recall games.
- You can record yourself and compare with native-speaker audio.
MobileWeb
Memrise
In Memrise you choose a Russian wordlist, and its words move through learning activities and then scheduled review.
- Pick a Russian wordlist and its words feed learning and review activities.
- Word Information shows meanings, examples and native-speaker clips where available.
- Teaches Cyrillic
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
Anki and Quizlet hold the cards you write, so you type the Cyrillic and the English meaning yourself. 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 | Russian course | English help | Free boundary | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Russian 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 | Russian course page | Yes | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons | iOS, Android, web |
| Clozemaster | Sentences with a gap | Review of sentences you saw | Translation and audio modes | Russian sentence lists | Yes | Free to start; Pro adds more | iOS, Android, web |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Favorites, Quiz, Word Collection | Pictures and audio | Learn Russian course | Yes | 5 minutes every 10 hours | iOS, Android |
| uTalk | Topics made by uTalk | Recall games | Native audio and your own recordings | Russian course page | Yes | Starter words and one unlockable topic are free; the rest is paid | iOS, Android, web |
| Memrise | Wordlists | Scheduled review | Examples and speaker clips where available | Russian course page | Yes | Limited free plan, Pro is paid | iOS, Android, web |
| 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 to start; Quizlet Plus is paid | iOS, Android, web |
To pick up words from reading and listening first, see our Russian comprehensible input app comparison. For vocabulary methods in any language, see vocabulary apps compared.
Which Russian vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Russian, 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 Russian you meet.
Can I keep the sentence a Russian word came from?
LingQ lessons pair each Russian 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 Russian word list?
In Anki and Quizlet you write every card yourself. Clozemaster Pro adds custom collections. Drops and uTalk teach from sets they 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: Russian course
- Drops: what's free
- Memrise: Russian course
- Memrise: help centre
- Clozemaster: Russian sentence lists
- Clozemaster: FAQ
- LingQ: learn Russian
- LingQ: what's free
- uTalk: Russian course
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
- Memrise
