The best Welsh listening app depends on how you want to hear Welsh and what you read along with. S4C Clic gives you Welsh television with subtitles, Duostories gives you stories with audio, uTalk and Glossika play native-speaker audio for words and sentences, and Say Something in Welsh has you answer out loud. This page compares the audio and transcript in each one, the speed and replay controls, offline use, Northern and Southern voices, and what stays free. For reading, stories and video together, see our Welsh comprehensible input comparison, and for courses, our Welsh app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Welsh. You learn from Welsh you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Welsh 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.
- Welsh lessons come with English explanations, so you can read along while the read-aloud voices speak.
- Saved Welsh words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum plays no shows or videos, so your Welsh listening comes from lessons and the read-aloud voices.
- 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
S4C Clic
S4C Clic suits learners who want real Welsh at full speed with subtitles to read along.
- S4C Clic plays live and on-demand Welsh television on iPhone in the UK App Store.
- S4C offers subtitle services, so you can read what you hear.
MobileWeb
Duostories
Duostories suits learners who want short Welsh (North) stories with audio and nothing to install.
- The Welsh (North) story page offers audio and community-translated stories.
- Listening mode plays a story with autoplay and skips the questions.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk suits learners who want to hear one Welsh word or phrase at a time.
- Welsh words and phrases come with native-speaker audio and listening games.
- You can record your own voice and compare it with the model.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- Say Something in WelshYou hear a prompt in English, say it in Welsh and then hear the Welsh model. The SSi team describes Northern and Southern listening modes, Welsh-only immersion and faster playback, and those modes are on its web app, not the older native app.
- GlossikaWelsh sentences with phonetic text and native-speaker audio, with hands-free listening online and offline. Welsh is a forever-free course, and some features are paid.
- BBC SoundsThe BBC's UK app for radio and podcasts, with downloads in the app. What you can hear in Welsh depends on the programme.
| App | Audio and transcript | Speed | Replay | Offline | Voices and variety | English help | Free boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons Poppy writes, with read-aloud voices | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | AI voices | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| S4C Clic | Television with subtitle services | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Broadcast speakers | Partly | Unconfirmed |
| Duostories | Stories with audio | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Welsh (North) | Unconfirmed | Free community website |
| uTalk | Phrases with native audio | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Native speakers | Unconfirmed | Starter content, full topics bought |
| Say Something in Welsh | Spoken prompts and Welsh models | Faster playback on the web app | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Northern and Southern modes on the web app | Partly | Unconfirmed |
| Glossika | Sentences with phonetic text | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Hands-free offline listed | Native speakers | Unconfirmed | Forever-free Welsh course, some paid features |
| BBC Sounds | Radio and podcasts | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Broadcast speakers | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
To pick between reading, listening and watching, see our Welsh comprehensible input comparison. To practice saying what you hear, see our Welsh speaking app comparison.
Which Welsh listening app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Welsh, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or try Duostories if you want short Welsh stories with audio and no install.
Can I choose a Northern or Southern Welsh voice?
Duostories labels its Welsh as North. Say Something in Welsh describes Northern and Southern listening modes on its web app only. For the other apps here, the variety is not confirmed.
Are there Welsh subtitles on S4C?
S4C lists subtitle services on its access page, and whether a programme has Welsh or English subtitles depends on the programme.
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
- S4C Clic: UK iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- S4C: access services and subtitles
- Duostories: Welsh stories for English speakers
- uTalk: learn Welsh
- Glossika: learn Welsh
- SaySomethingin: Welsh resources
- SaySomethingin forum: our new approach to listening, Pod1 and beyond
- BBC Sounds: UK iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- S4C Clic
