Icelandic is the national language of Iceland, a country of about 394,000 people. It has kept the main parts of its Old Norse system, so Icelanders can still read their earliest literature. About one in five people in Iceland are immigrants, and many of them are learning Icelandic as adults. Even so, only a few apps teach it, and fewer give you real Icelandic to read and listen to once you know the basics.
Here are the apps and services that teach Icelandic, 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 Icelandic. You learn from Icelandic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Bubblegum builds Icelandic 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 Icelandic 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, Pimsleur and Mango are the better fit, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- The Icelandic Alphabet course teaches þ, ð, and the other Icelandic letters from the first letter.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Icelandic 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™
- Teaches the Icelandic Alphabet
Mobile
Follow an Icelandic Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. These apps give you an ordered path through Icelandic words and sentences.
Memrise
Memrise groups its Icelandic lessons into everyday scenarios such as travel, work, and food. The videos let you hear different voices and accents.
- A free official Icelandic course with more than 110 lessons.
- More than 60 videos of Icelandic speakers.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango builds its Icelandic lessons around everyday conversations, with notes that explain grammar and culture. Check your local library first, since many libraries include Mango.
- Lessons that start with conversations between native speakers.
- Grammar notes and culture notes.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Ling
Ling's Icelandic lessons are about five minutes long, so they fit between other things you do.
- More than 200 lessons, with native speaker audio.
- Dialogues you can practice like a conversation, and flashcards.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Practice Speaking and Listening
Bara tala
Bara tala is made for people who use Icelandic in daily life and at work. It teaches useful phrases and lets you practice speaking on your phone. Its feedback comes from an AI teacher, so add a person when you want live conversation and correction.
- Practice Icelandic conversations with an AI teacher.
- Get feedback on your pronunciation as you speak.
- General courses and lessons for work.
Mobile
Pimsleur
Pimsleur suits learners who want to start speaking before they read much. You hear a prompt, answer aloud, and then hear the answer. Its reading lessons connect Icelandic spelling with its sounds. The course has one level, so you will need something else after it.
- 30-minute audio lessons where you answer out loud.
- Level 1 has 30 lessons.
- Teaches the Icelandic Alphabet (partly)
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Drops
Drops teaches Icelandic words in sessions of about five minutes. Topics include greetings, travel, food and drink, and numbers.
- Pictures and short games help you remember words.
- A free version, with Premium for unlimited access.
Mobile
Clozemaster
Clozemaster has lists of the 100 most common Icelandic words, each in an example sentence. It suits learners who already know some basics.
- Learn words by filling in the missing word in a sentence.
- A listening mode lets you hear the sentence first.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk starts with greetings and common words, then moves on to travel and food. Games and review sessions help the words stick, and the review focuses on the words you find hard.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases in over 60 topics.
- Audio from native speakers.
MobileWeb
Read and Listen to Icelandic
LingQ
LingQ is a library of lessons to read and listen to, sorted by level. Pick lessons that match what you can follow now, and move up as they get easier.
- Courses from beginner to advanced levels, including a 62-lesson mini stories series.
- Import your own Icelandic texts and audio to study.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
For more Icelandic you can read, watch, and listen to at your level, see our Icelandic 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 Icelandic tutor profiles and book a lesson around your schedule.
- Choose an Icelandic tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Get feedback while you speak.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has a Icelandic tutor directory. Compare profiles, reviews, and prices to find a teacher who fits your level and goals.
- Choose a tutor by profile, reviews, and price.
- Filter tutors by whether they are native speakers.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk has a page for Icelandic learners that connects you with Icelandic speakers. Start with messages, then move on to voice rooms.
- Meet Icelandic speakers who want to practice English.
- Practice with messages and voice rooms.
- It has no Icelandic lessons of its own, so pair it with a course or a tutor.
Mobile
More Ways to Learn Icelandic
Icelandic Online is a set of free courses from the University of Iceland. It starts with a survival course for people who live and work in Iceland and goes up to level C1. RÚV Orð lets you learn Icelandic from shows and news made by RÚV, Iceland's public broadcaster, and Auðskilið is news read in simple, slow Icelandic.
Ylhýra has free Icelandic reading texts with word and sentence translations, plus vocabulary practice with recordings. It suits learners who want to start reading with help.
The Árni Magnússon Institute runs BÍN, where you can see how more than 350,000 Icelandic words change their endings, and m.is, which has an Icelandic-English dictionary. For classes, Mímir teaches Icelandic to adults in Reykjavik from level 1 to level 5, and Where to Learn Icelandic lists schools and courses.
Learn Icelandic 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
|
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
| Mango Languages | 2 | Full list |
| Bara tala | 1 | Full list |
| Ling | 67 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (5)
- GlossikaA course of more than 5,000 Icelandic words and sentences, from A1 to C1.
- TalkpalAn AI tutor you can write or speak with in Icelandic, with feedback on your pronunciation.
- The Icelandic AppAn iPhone course with vocabulary, grammar, and sentence-building exercises that get harder as you learn.
- Icelandic Language LessonsA step-by-step course with more than 8,000 words and phrases in over 200 topics.
- Learn Icelandic Premium2,287 phrases spoken by a native Icelandic speaker, with no ads and offline use.
Common Questions
Which Icelandic app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Icelandic, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Icelandic Online if you want a free course, or Memrise if you want short lessons in an app. Add Pimsleur if you want to speak from the start. Icelandic words change their endings, so a course with grammar notes, like Mango's, helps. Icelandic also uses the Latin alphabet with a few extra letters, such as þ and ð, so a short alphabet lesson is a good first step.
Can I learn Icelandic for free?
Yes. Icelandic Online has six courses, and all of them are free. RÚV Orð is a free way to learn from RÚV shows and news, and Memrise has a free plan with its official Icelandic course. Many libraries give free access to Mango. Bubblegum's lesson library is free to read too.
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
- Statistics Iceland: Iceland's population was 394,324 at the beginning of 2026
- Statistics Iceland: Immigrants 19.6% of the population of Iceland
- Act No. 61/2011 on the Status of the Icelandic Language and Icelandic Sign Language
- Árni Magnússon Institute: The History of Icelandic
- Icelandic Online: About Icelandic Online
- BÍN: Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection
- RÚV Orð: Learn Icelandic with Real Media from RÚV
- Mango Languages for libraries
- Árni Magnússon Institute: Icelandic dictionaries and BÍN
- Ylhýra: Icelandic texts and vocabulary practice
- Bubblegum
- Memrise
- Mango Languages
- Ling
- Bara tala
- Pimsleur
- Drops
- Clozemaster
- uTalk
- LingQ
- italki
- Preply
- HelloTalk
Checked on October 10, 2026 against each app's own pages.
