The best Spanish vocabulary app depends on where your words come from and which Spanish they use. Drops, uTalk and Memrise each have a Spain course, LingQ saves words from texts you read, and Anki holds cards you write yourself. This page compares how each app gets words to you, how it brings them back, and which ones have a Spain course. For courses, tutors and speaking, see our Spanish app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Spain Spanish. You learn from Spain Spanish you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Spanish 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 that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- Every Spanish lesson is written at your level, about things you like.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence 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.
- You can't turn your favorite 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 suits learners with Spanish texts or audio of their own. Import them, tap each word you don't know, and it joins your review. Its course is one Spanish, so the texts you import decide whether you meet Spain or Latin America.
- Tap an unfamiliar Spanish word in a lesson and save it as a LingQ.
- Saved words come back in review with the sentence they came from.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops goes through Spanish vocabulary by topic, with a picture, a recording and a quick game for every word. Mexican Spanish is a separate course in the app, so pick the Castilian one for Spain.
- Drops has a Castilian Spanish course, the Spanish of Spain.
- Each word comes with a picture and its audio.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk teaches topic word sets with recall games, and you can record yourself and compare with native audio.
- The Spanish course page names a course for Spain.
- Free starter words come in every language, and a perfect game score opens one extra topic.
MobileWeb
Memrise
Memrise teaches Spanish words in learning and review activities, with wordlists rolling out to new users. It offers Spanish courses for both Spain and Mexico, so check you are on the Spain one.
- Learn Spanish words in a course and review them on a schedule.
- Word Information shows meanings, examples and native-speaker clips where available.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows each Spanish word inside a full sentence. The sentences come from Tatoeba, a community collection, and the course is one Spanish.
- Fill in the missing Spanish word in a sentence.
- Sentences you have seen come back later, with translation and audio modes.
MobileWeb
Anki and Quizlet hold the cards you write, so the Spanish on them is whichever Spanish you type. Put the Spain words you want on your own cards. 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?.
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
| App | Word source | Review | Sentence and audio | Spain course | English help | Free boundary | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes | Saved words return in new lessons | Words appear in new sentences | Spain Spanish journey | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| LingQ | Text and audio you import | Spaced repetition | Matching text and audio | One Spanish course | Yes | 20 saved words, 5 imported lessons | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Drops | Topics made by Drops | Favorites, Quiz, Word Collection | Pictures and audio | Castilian Spanish course | Yes | 5 minutes every 10 hours | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| uTalk | Topics made by uTalk | Recall games | Native audio and your own recordings | Spain course named | Yes | Free starter words; the rest is paid | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Memrise | Courses; wordlists for new users | Scheduled review | Examples and speaker clips where available | Spain and Mexico courses | Yes | Limited free plan, Pro is paid | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Clozemaster | Sentences with a gap | Review of sentences you saw | Translation and audio modes | One Spanish course | Yes | Free to start; Pro adds more | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Anki | Cards you make | SM-2 or FSRS | Only if you add them to the card | Whatever you type | Your own cards | Desktop and AnkiWeb free; AnkiMobile paid once | iPhone, iPad, Android, computer |
| Quizlet | Sets you make or pick | Study and test modes | Sentences depend on the set; spoken audio is generated in study modes | Whatever you type | Your own sets | Free to start; Quizlet Plus is paid | iPhone, iPad, Android |
If you read Spanish before you save words, our Spanish comprehensible input app comparison covers reading and listening apps. For vocabulary methods in any language, see vocabulary apps compared.
Which Spanish vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Spain Spanish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose Drops with its Castilian Spanish course for a ready-made picture list. Choose Anki if you want to make your own cards from the Spanish you meet.
Which of these apps name a course for Spain?
Drops names Castilian Spanish and uTalk names a Spain course on its Spanish page. Memrise has separate Spain and Mexico courses. LingQ and Clozemaster each have one Spanish course, and Anki and Quizlet use the words you type.
Can I keep the sentence a Spanish word came from?
LingQ brings a saved Spanish word back with its context. An Anki card has a sentence only when you add one, while Clozemaster turns the sentence into the exercise.
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: what's free
- Anki manual: scheduling and cards
- Drops: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Drops: what's free
- Drops: Castilian Spanish course
- Memrise: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Memrise: Spanish course
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- LingQ: what's free
- LingQ: learn Spanish
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: FAQ
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Spanish course
- uTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- Clozemaster
