Church Latin is the Latin of the Mass, the prayers, chant and the Vulgate, said with Italian-style sounds: (behold) is ET-cheh, where Classical Latin says EK-keh. Few Latin apps say which pronunciation they teach, so this page checks that first, then what each app gives you to read or sing. For books, free sites and chant resources, see our guide to Church Latin resources.
Our Latin app comparison covers both pronunciations and the classical authors, and our Church Latin comprehensible input guide covers what to read and hear at each stage.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Church Latin. You learn from Church Latin you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Church Latin 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.
Try asking Poppy why a prayer says Et cum spiritu tuo in answer to Dominus vobiscum.
Bubblegum is not a choir or a Mass book, so for singing, try the chant resources below.
- Lessons are read aloud in Church sounds, so is said ET-cheh.
- Pick a goal like prayers and the Mass, chant, or reading church texts, and the lessons are written in that kind of text.
- Level 6 is "I can read the Missal, the Vulgate or Augustine as written."
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Lessons spell words the Classical way, like , so books that print look different.
- You can't turn your own Missal or hymnal into lessons. However, you can paste a page 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™
Mobile
Credo
Credo teaches Latin through the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, the Salve Regina and other prayers, with the Latin you would hear at Mass and in the Breviary. Its page does not say which pronunciation it uses, so listen to a lesson before you rely on it for the Church sounds.
- Illustrated lessons explain every word of a prayer.
- A Rosary with all twenty mysteries, in Latin or English, with both on the screen if you like.
Mobile
Legentibus
Legentibus is a reading app made for Latin. Besides Genesis, its library lists Christian texts such as Jerome's life of Paul, so it suits you when you want to read a page with a voice beside it.
- Latin texts come with synced audio, and the line being read is highlighted.
- Its free section includes Genesis in the Vulgate.
Mobile
Other Apps We Looked At (5)
- Lingua SacraAn iPhone and iPad app for Ecclesiastical Latin with 202 lessons in 18 tiers, 52 prayers with word-by-word grammar, a Vulgate reader with English beside the Latin, and vocabulary recorded in Church pronunciation.
- Introibo: TLM AppA prayer companion for the Roman Missal and the Breviary, with ten lessons in Church pronunciation. Its App Store page calls it ad-free and offline, without a subscription.
- NeumzGregorian chant sung by Benedictine nuns and monks, with Latin lines and English translations that scroll with the music.
- LaudateA Catholic app with the Latin Mass, the Latin Liturgy of the Hours, a Latin Rosary, and Latin prayers with English translations.
- BiblingoTeaches Latin for reading the Vulgate, beside Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew.
Rosetta Stone Sapphire
Rosetta Stone says it teaches Classical Latin, with words like aqua and salve, and its page does not mention Church vocabulary. It works as a first course in the written language if you add Church sounds from another source later.
- Teaches Classical Latin.
- A learning path starts with basic sentences.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
uTalk's Latin course has more than 2,500 words and phrases in over 60 topics, voiced in Classical Latin by Oxford graduates. Hackett's audio for the textbook Familia Romana comes in both Classical or Church pronunciation, so check which one you buy.
italki
italki lists about 30 Latin teachers. Tell yours you want the Church sounds and prayers, so the practice fits the Mass.
- Choose a teacher from their profiles, and book lessons over video.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has online Latin tutors for private lessons. Ask yours to read the Pater Noster aloud with the Church sounds in your first session.
- Choose among more than 100 Latin tutors.
- If the first tutor isn't a match, you can try two more for free.
MobileWeb
| App | Teaches It | Sounds You Hear |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Church |
| Lingua Sacra | Yes | Church |
| Introibo: TLM App | Yes, ten lessons | Church |
| Credo | Yes | Not stated |
| Neumz | PartlyChant texts, no lessons | Sung chant |
| Laudate | PartlyLatin prayers and the Latin Mass | Not stated |
| Biblingo | PartlyLatin for the Vulgate | Not stated |
| Legentibus | PartlySome Christian texts | Not stated |
| Rosetta Stone | No | Classical |
| uTalk | No | Classical |
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | 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. |
| Credo | Free trial | The iOS app is free to download, and new subscribers get a one-week free trial. Credo Premium opens full access. |
| Legentibus | Some lessons free | The first three modules of the Immersion Course and 17 books with audio are free. A subscription opens the rest, and it starts with a 3-day trial. |
| Rosetta Stone Sapphire | Some lessons free | Your first Rosetta Stone lesson is free, and the Sapphire app lets you try 7 days for free. After that, you need a membership. |
| italki | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets their own price. Practicing with the community and taking the level test are free. |
| Preply | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each tutor sets their own price. If your first tutor isn't a good fit, you can try two more for free. |
| Lingua Sacra | Not stated | Full access is a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. |
| Introibo: TLM App | Free | The whole app is free, with no ads and no subscription. |
| Neumz | Free version | The app is free to download, and the complete liturgy plays one hour at a time. A subscription opens play-on-demand and the Tridentine Rite. |
| Laudate | Free | The whole app is free. |
| Biblingo | Not stated | It is free to download, with in-app purchases. |
The number of languages you can use an app in isn't the same as the languages its lessons explain things in, so open one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Supported language pairs |
| Credo | 1 | App Store |
| Legentibus | 1 | App Store |
| Rosetta Stone | 6 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| Lingua Sacra | 1 | Full list |
| Introibo: TLM App | 1 | Full list |
| Neumz | 1 | Full list |
| Laudate | 19 | Full list |
| Biblingo | 1 | Full list |
Which Church Latin app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Church Latin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Credo if you'd like each prayer explained word by word, or with Lingua Sacra if you want a long course of lessons that covers the Mass and the Vulgate. To plan a week around one of them, see the best way to learn Church Latin.
Do I need an app that says it teaches Church Latin?
Not for the written language. Church Latin and Classical Latin share their grammar and nearly all of their spelling, so a course in either one teaches you to read the Vulgate. The sounds are the part to check, because an app that uses Classical sounds says (heaven) as KYE-loom where the Church says CHEH-loom.
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: Latin
- Lingua Sacra on the App Store (202 lessons, recorded Church pronunciation, free with in-app purchases)
- Credo: Catholic Latin learning (iOS app, Android waitlist, one-week trial)
- Credo on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Introibo: TLM App on the App Store (ten lessons in Ecclesiastical pronunciation, free)
- Neumz: Gregorian Chant on the App Store
- Laudate on the App Store (Latin Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, Rosary; 19 languages)
- Biblingo on the App Store (Latin for the Vulgate)
- Legentibus: the Latin reading and listening app
- Legentibus on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Rosetta Stone: Learn Latin ("Rosetta Stone teaches Classical Latin")
- Rosetta Stone Sapphire on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Learn Latin (Classical Latin voiced by Oxford graduates)
- uTalk: the languages you can learn from
- Memoria Press: Which Latin Pronunciation? (Ecclesiastical, Italianate, and Reformed Classical)
- Hackett Publishing: Familia Romana audio in Classical or Ecclesiastical pronunciation
- italki: Latin teachers
- italki: home page (what is free)
- italki on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Preply: online Latin tutors
- Preply on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Wiktionary: caelum
- Wiktionary: coelum (Medieval and New Latin form of caelum)
- Wiktionary: ecce
