Bubblegum is the only app we found with lessons in the English spoken in Ireland. Other English apps teach American or British English, so the rest of your Irish English comes from people: a tutor from Ireland, a language partner in Dublin, or the radio. This page compares the apps and says how each one sounds. For free classes in Ireland and Irish radio, read our Best Ways to Learn Irish English.
Irish English is English as people speak it in Ireland. Irish, also called Gaeilge, is a separate language, and you can find apps for it in our Irish app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn English. You learn from English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Irish English 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.
Ask Poppy what craic means or why someone says "she's after finishing it."
To practice speaking with people, try a tutor or partner in Practice With People From Ireland.
- Lessons are in Irish English, read aloud in Dublin English accents.
- Lessons use British spellings and keep Irish names with their fadas, like Seán.
- 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 teach everyday Irish English and don't cover every regional accent.
- 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
Preply
On Preply you pick the tutor, so you pick the accent. Practice the conversations you'll have at work or when you rent a home, like a call to a landlord.
- Use the country of birth filter to look for English tutors from Ireland.
- Filter tutors by the other languages they speak.
MobileWeb
italki
On italki, tell your teacher which county you're moving to, so the examples fit your life there.
- Choose an English teacher from Ireland.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
Tandem
Tandem has a page for English in Dublin, and you can search for partners by location. You hear how people really talk, but there is no lesson plan.
- Search for language partners by location, language and interests.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
Rosetta Stone has separate American and British English courses and describes its English as clear and standard. Drops and Memrise offer British English. None of their pages mention Irish English, and uTalk, which sells several English varieties, has no Irish English course. Use them for general English, then add Bubblegum or a person from Ireland to pick up Irish words and the accent.
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Tandem | Free version | Signing up is free, and Tandem reviews each new member first. Many features are free, and Tandem Pro gives you all of them. |
Try one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Supported language pairs |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
Which Irish English app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning English, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with a tutor on Preply or italki if you'd like to practice speaking with someone from Ireland from day one.
Which accent will I learn from an app?
With Bubblegum, a Dublin English voice reads each lesson. With Rosetta Stone, Drops, or Memrise you learn American or British English, and with Preply, italki, or Tandem you learn your tutor's or partner's accent.
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: Irish English
- uTalk: English courses in the store (no Irish English course)
- Preply: English tutors (country of birth filter)
- italki: English teachers (Teachers from filter)
- Tandem: Learn English in Dublin
- Rosetta Stone: Learn English (American and British English courses)
- Drops: Learn British English
- Memrise: British English course
- Wiktionary: craic (Ireland)
- italki: what's free
- Tandem: what's free
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- Tandem
