Latvian is the official language of Latvia and one of the official languages of the European Union. About 1.5 million people speak it as a first language, and 62% of people aged 18 to 69 in Latvia use it at home. Apps can help with vocabulary and listening. Latvia also has free lessons, dictionaries, and public media that give you more ways to practice.
Here are the apps and services that teach Latvian, 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 Latvian. You learn from Latvian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Bubblegum builds Latvian 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 Latvian 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 and Glossika are 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 Latvian 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 a Latvian Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. This app gives you an ordered path through Latvian words and sentences.
Ling
Ling teaches Latvian with short lessons, quizzes, and mini-games. It suits learners who want a ready-made course on their phone.
- Lessons with native speaker audio, grammar notes, and culture notes.
- Practice conversations with Dialog, Ling's chatbot.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Mondly
Mondly groups short exercises around situations such as shopping, travel, and meeting people. You hear a conversation and practice speaking, reading, and listening.
- Practice words and conversations by topic.
- Speech recognition and verb tables help you practice.
MobileWeb
Practice Speaking and Listening
Glossika
Glossika builds Latvian through sentences that you hear and say aloud, 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 and sentences, from A1 to C1.
- You hear every sentence from native speakers.
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Memrise
Memrise offers Latvian 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 Latvian word lists made by other learners.
- Make a list of your own words to practice.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk helps you learn Latvian words through games and audio. Its reviews focus on the words you get wrong.
- More than 2,500 everyday words and phrases in more than 60 topics.
- Recorded by native speakers, not computer voices.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows a Latvian 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 Latvian words inside real sentences.
- Sentences come back for review right before you would forget them.
MobileWeb
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 Latvian tutor profiles and book a lesson around your schedule.
- Choose a Latvian tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Get feedback while you speak.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has a Latvian 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 Latvian you need with a tutor.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk has a page for finding Latvian language partners. Exchange calls give each of you equal time to practice.
- Meet Latvian 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 Latvian among its languages. Agree with your partner on how to split time between your two languages.
- Fill in your goals and interests to find a partner who matches them.
- Practice with text, audio, and video.
- It can take a few tries to find a partner who matches your interests and time.
MobileWeb
Resources From Latvia
Latvia's own institutions publish a lot for learners. The Latvian Language Agency's Māci un mācies latviešu valodu portal has free reading texts, games, and self-check tasks, including interactive Laipa A1 and A2 lessons. E-Laipa is a self-learning tool for learners aged 15 and older, with four parts from A1 to B2. The agency also offers free online Latvian courses for diaspora students.
Latvian words change their endings a lot, so a good dictionary helps. Tēzaurs.lv is a large open Latvian dictionary with inflection tables and example sentences, and Letonika has dictionaries, an encyclopedia, and a word conjugator. For reading and listening, LSM, Latvia's public media, has news, radio, and TV in Latvian.
For more Latvian you can read, watch, and listen to at your level, see our Latvian comprehensible input comparison.
Learn Latvian 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
|
| Ling | 67 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
| Mondly | 32 | Full list |
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
- TalkpalAI conversation practice in Latvian, with speech recognition for pronunciation and grammar exercises that fit your level.
- Learn Latvian: Beginner, BasicA step-by-step iPhone course with more than 8,000 words and phrases in 23 chapters.
Common Questions
Which Latvian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Latvian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Ling if you want a ready-made course, and add Glossika when you want more listening practice. Add a tutor from italki or Preply when you want feedback. Latvian uses the Latin alphabet with some extra marks on letters, like ā and š, so you do not need to learn a new script first.
Can I learn Latvian for free?
Yes. The Latvian Language Agency's learning portal is free, and so is Bubblegum's lesson library. The Integration and Inclusion Agency of Latvia also lists funded Latvian courses for eligible newcomers. Check the current dates and entry rules with the provider.
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
- Latvian Institute: Latvian Language
- Wikipedia: Latvian language
- Official Statistics of Latvia: Latvian is mother tongue of 64% of the population (Adult Education Survey 2022)
- Duolingo: Language courses
- Ling: No Latvian on Duolingo? The best alternative in 2026
- Integration and Inclusion Agency of Latvia: Free Latvian language courses
- Latvian Language Agency: Latvian speakers and learning resources
- Latvian Language Agency: Self-study resources including e-Laipa
- Mondly: current iPhone listing
- Memrise: Latvian community word lists in the current app
- Memrise: community word lists restored to current website and apps
- Bubblegum
- Ling
- Mondly
- Glossika
- uTalk
- Clozemaster
- italki
- Preply
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
Checked on October 10, 2026 against each app's own pages.
