Thai vocabulary apps differ in where the words come from. Some save words from texts you read, some let you write your own cards, and some give you ready-made word sets. Three apps get a closer look below and six more get a short note. Each one says how it saves and reviews words, and how much help is in English. For full courses and tutors, see Best Apps to Learn Thai.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Thai. You learn from Thai you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Thai 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.
- The Thai dictionary has more than 105,000 entries with English meanings.
- Poppy's Thai grammar notes cover 471 topics in English.
- Words you save from a Thai lesson come back in new lessons, in new sentences, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Thai Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- You can't import a Thai word list or a book as lessons. However, you can paste a passage in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- 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 Thai Alphabet
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ keeps track of which Thai words you know and which you are still learning.
- Tap an unfamiliar Thai word in a text or recording, save it, and review it later with the text it came from.
- English is one of the dictionary languages, so saved Thai words show English meanings.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Drops
The words come from sets that Drops supplies.
- Thai words come with pictures and audio, in short games grouped by topic.
- Free play lasts 5 minutes every 10 hours, and the review tools Favorites, Dojo, Quiz and Word Collection stay free.
- Teaches the Thai Alphabet
Mobile
Other Apps We Looked At (6)
- AnkiCards can hold the Thai word, the English meaning, a sentence and audio, and Anki shows each card again on a schedule. Desktop Anki and AnkiWeb are free, and AnkiMobile on iPhone costs $24.99 once in the US App Store. Anki is not a Thai course: you write the cards or import a deck someone shared.
- QuizletMake Thai flashcard sets or use sets other people share. English meanings depend on who wrote the set. Flashcards are free to start, and Quizlet Plus is paid.
- MemriseYou choose a word list, and its words go into learning and review activities. Word Information shows meanings and examples. A limited free version exists, and Pro is paid.
- uTalkPick a topic, read its Thai words and phrases, then play recall games. You can record yourself and compare your voice with native-speaker audio. The starter words are free, and more topics are paid.
- ClozemasterYou fill in the missing Thai word in a sentence, and sentences you saw before come back later. Free play is limited, and Pro unlocks unlimited practice.
- My ThaiEnglish-medium Thai words come with Thai script, tone-marked phonetics and audio, plus example sentences with audio. You rate how sure you are of each word, and you can add your own words. A free account is available.
| App | Usable in | Learning help in | Words come from | Saved and reviewed | Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Partly | Lessons Poppy writes | Words return in new lessons | Lessons written for others |
| LingQ | Yes | PartlyMeanings in English | Texts and recordings you read | Saved with their text | 20 words, 5 lessons |
| Drops | Yes | — | Topic sets | Favorites, Dojo, Quiz | 5 minutes every 10 hours |
| Anki | Yes | PartlyWhat you write | Your own or shared cards | SM-2 or FSRS schedule | Desktop and AnkiWeb |
| Quizlet | Yes | PartlyDepends on the set author | Your sets or shared sets | Learn and test modes | Flashcards |
| Memrise | Yes | — | Word lists | Scheduled review | Limited version |
| uTalk | Yes | — | Topics | Recall games | Starter words |
| Clozemaster | Yes | — | Sentences with a gap | Sentences return later | Limited play |
| My Thai | Yes | English-medium | Word sets and your own words | Confidence ratings, quizzes | Free account |
A dash (—) means you should check it in the app.
Which Thai vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Thai, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. If you want ready-made words with pictures, Drops starts with topics. Thai has five tones, so listen to the audio on each word.
Which apps keep the sentence a Thai word came from?
LingQ saves a word with the text and audio you found it in. Clozemaster puts each word in a sentence. My Thai gives each word example sentences with audio. Anki keeps a sentence only if you add one to the card. For apps that give you Thai to read and hear, see our comparison of Thai reading and listening apps.
How is reviewing in Bubblegum different from flashcards?
A flashcard brings back the same card. Regenerative Review™ puts a saved word into a new lesson, so you meet it again in a different sentence. Is Anki good for language learning? explains how Anki's schedule works.
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
- Bubblegum: Thai and English language pair
- LingQ: Learn Thai online
- LingQ: free and Premium plans
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Drops: Learn Thai
- Drops: what is free
- Anki manual
- Anki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Quizlet: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: languages
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Memrise: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Learn Thai
- My Thai
- My Thai: Google Play listing
- Bubblegum
