Estonian is the official language of Estonia. In the 2021 census, 84% of people in Estonia could speak it, either as a mother tongue or a foreign language. Its nouns change in 14 cases, so it helps to meet words inside sentences. Estonia's free courses and local apps give you several ways to start.
Here are the apps and services that teach Estonian, grouped by what they help you do. You can start with one and add another when you need it.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Estonian. You learn from Estonian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Bubblegum builds Estonian lessons around your own life. Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you want to learn. She writes lessons for your level and helps you understand the words and grammar. You can read and listen, and ask her about anything that is unclear. News and stories give you more Estonian to read about music, food, family, and other things you care about.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum is not a person to talk with. For audio lessons with recorded speakers, uTalk is the better fit, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Estonian about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading instead of using flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Follow an Estonian Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. These apps give you an ordered path through Estonian words and sentences. Estonia's free official courses are in Free Courses and Resources From Estonia, below.
Speakly
Speakly teaches Estonian with words, sentences, and listening practice on your phone or computer. It suits learners who want to build everyday language and then use it with people.
- Learn useful words in the order people need them.
- Practice with listening exercises and everyday dialogues.
- Review with spaced repetition, with grammar explanations when you need them.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Ling
Ling teaches Estonian with short lessons and bite-sized games. It suits learners who want a ready-made course on their phone.
- Audio lessons recorded by native speakers, with grammar tips.
- Lessons are grouped by theme, from beginner to advanced.
- Speaking practice is with a chatbot, so you will need a tutor or partner for feedback from a person.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Practice Speaking and Listening
Glossika
Glossika builds Estonian through full sentences that you hear and practice, so you meet grammar inside real sentences. You can take a placement test or start from zero. It suits learners who want a lot of listening practice.
- More than 5,000 words, from A1 to C1.
- Practice with full sentences, or switch to a hands-free listening mode.
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Memrise
Memrise offers Estonian vocabulary practice through community word lists on its website and mobile app. You can look for a topic that fits your goal or collect your own words. This differs from the older Community Courses website.
- Choose Estonian word lists made by other learners.
- Make a list of your own words to practice.
MobileWeb
Lingvist
Lingvist gives you short vocabulary exercises that adjust as you learn. It suits learners who want extra word practice alongside a course, tutor, or reading habit.
- Practice useful Estonian vocabulary inside sentences.
- The course adjusts to what you already know.
- Type or speak your answer, and hear sentence audio.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops teaches Estonian words through short, illustrated games. Its Estonian lessons are made with local translators and native speakers.
- More than 2,500 Estonian words and phrases, each with a picture.
- Review with Favorites, Review Dojo, Quiz Mode, and Word Collection.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk helps you learn Estonian words through short lessons and memory games. Its reviews focus on the words you get wrong.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases.
- Audio recorded by native Estonian speakers.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows an Estonian sentence with one word missing, and you pick or type the missing word. It starts with the most common words, so you learn the most useful ones first.
- Learn Estonian words inside real sentences.
- Sentences come back for review right before you would forget them.
MobileWeb
Read Estonian Texts
Readlang
Readlang lets you read Estonian articles, books, and web pages with a translation one click away. Choose a short text at your level to get started.
- Click any word in an Estonian text to see what it means.
- Turn the words you click into flashcards.
- You choose your own Estonian texts, so you need to find ones at your level.
- Flashcards
WebBrowser extension
For more Estonian you can read, watch, and listen to at your level, see our Estonian comprehensible input comparison.
Learn With People
Choose a tutor if you want teaching and correction. Choose a language exchange if you want a practice partner and are happy to help with English in return.
italki
italki lets you browse Estonian tutor profiles and book a lesson around your schedule.
- Choose an Estonian tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Get feedback while you speak.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has a Estonian tutor directory. Compare profiles, reviews, and prices to find a teacher who fits your level and goals.
- Compare tutors by profile, reviews, and price.
- Practice the Estonian you need with a tutor.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk has a page for finding Estonian language partners. Exchange calls give each of you equal time to practice.
- Meet Estonian speakers who want to practice with you.
- Practice with messages, voice rooms, and voice calls.
- Partners are volunteers and may not be trained teachers.
Mobile
Tandem
Tandem lists Estonian among its languages, and its Tallinn page shows partners who are learning or teaching Estonian. Agree with your partner on how to split time between your two languages.
- Find a partner who matches your goals and interests.
- Practice with text, audio, and video.
- It can take a few tries to find a partner who matches your interests and time.
MobileWeb
Free Courses and Resources From Estonia
Two free web courses made in Estonia help adults use Estonian in everyday situations. Keeleklikk takes you from your first words to A2, with 16 chapters, more than 100 grammar videos, and about 1,200 exercises. You can also exchange messages with an Estonian teacher. Keeletee continues to B1, with 13 chapters of interviews, grammar videos, exercises, and tests. Both courses work in English and Russian, and Keeleklikk also works in Ukrainian.
If you live in Estonia, the Integration Foundation offers free Estonian courses from A1 to B1 for adults with an Estonian personal identification code, in person and online. Registration opens twice a year. Its Language Friends program connects learners with native speakers for conversation practice.
For reading and listening, ERR, Estonia's public broadcaster, publishes Lihtsad uudised, a selection of the week's news in simple Estonian that you can read and listen to. Estonian words change a lot, so a good dictionary helps. Sõnaveeb is the language portal of the Institute of the Estonian Language. Its Learner's Sõnaveeb shows 6,000 basic words in a simpler way for A2 to B1 learners, and you can hear many common words and their forms.
Learn Estonian in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Other apps’ counts and full lists come from their iPhone listings. Lesson explanations and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Speakly | 13 | Full list |
| Lingvist | 20 | Full list |
| Ling | 67 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| Readlang | 1 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
Common Questions
Which Estonian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Estonian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Keeleklikk if you want a free course, or Speakly or Ling if you want a course on your phone. Add uTalk or Glossika when you want more listening practice, and a tutor from italki or Preply when you want feedback. Estonian uses the Latin alphabet with a few extra letters, like õ and ü, so you do not need to learn a new script first.
Can I learn Estonian for free?
Yes. Keeleklikk and Keeletee are free courses, and the Integration Foundation's courses are free for adults living in Estonia. ERR's Lihtsad uudised and Sõnaveeb are free to read too, and so is Bubblegum's lesson library.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Estonian language
- Language and Cognition: Many ways to decline a noun, children's noun inflection in Estonian
- Duolingo: Language courses
- Keeleklikk: Estonian language course
- Keeletee: Estonian language course
- Integration Foundation: Language learning
- ERR News: Estonian Language Friends program open for new learners
- ERR News: Lihtsad uudised
- Sõnaveeb: About
- Statistics Estonia: 243 mother tongues spoken in Estonia
- Memrise: Estonian community word lists in the current app
- Memrise: community word lists restored to current website and apps
- Bubblegum
- Speakly
- Ling
- Glossika
- Lingvist
- Drops
- uTalk
- Clozemaster
- Readlang
- italki
- Preply
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
Checked on October 10, 2026 against each app's own pages.
