Singlish is the casual English many people in Singapore use with friends and family. It mixes English with Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, and Tamil, and it ends sentences with particles like lah, leh, and lor. Almost no language app has a Singlish course, so this page checks which ones do, how each sounds, and what the others give you. For free word lists, TV, and radio, see our guide to Singlish resources.
Our English app comparison covers apps for American, British, and other English. Our Singlish comprehensible input guide covers what to read and watch at each stage.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Singlish. You learn from Singlish you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Singlish 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 what meh adds to a question like "Cannot, meh?"
Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening more than speaking, so for speaking practice, try a partner or tutor below.
- Lessons are in Singlish, with local grammar and particles in the sentences speakers would use them in.
- 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.
- The read-aloud voices are set to British English, and we haven't confirmed a Singapore accent, so listen to people from Singapore for the sound of Singlish.
- 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
Two phrase apps are made for Singlish. Both teach set expressions, so pair them with lessons or conversation to learn how whole sentences go.
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
- Singlish — Learn & PracticeIts App Store page says it covers more than 200 Singaporean English expressions with timed lessons, spaced repetition, quizzes, and recordings. The app's own site says locals made the recordings. Its seller is Bits Of Wow, an indie team that says it made the app for Singapore.
- Singlish LahIts App Store page says it has 128 phrases with pictures, works offline, and has pronunciations by a native Singaporean.
Tandem
Tandem is a language exchange, so you help your partner with your language while they help you with English. Say you want to learn Singlish, and ask what a word means when you hear one you don't know.
- Tandem has a page for English speakers in Singapore.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video, and hear Singlish as people really say it.
MobileWeb
Preply
Many tutors teach standard English. If you find one from Singapore, say you want Singlish, and ask for a short chat about food or travel.
- Filter English tutors by country of birth.
- Watch a tutor's intro video before you book.
MobileWeb
italki
On italki you pick the teacher and the topics. Ask whether a teacher is comfortable teaching Singlish, since many teach the standard English used in schools.
- Filter English teachers by where they're from.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
uTalk's English courses are American, Australian, British, Canadian, Cockney, Indian, and Scottish, and none is Singaporean. Duolingo's English courses are for speakers of other languages, and none is about Singlish. See Is Singlish on Duolingo? for what to use instead. These apps help with general English if yours is still basic, but they won't show you Singapore's particles.
| App | Teaches Singlish | What You Hear |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes, lessons | British English voices, no confirmed Singapore accent |
| Singlish — Learn & Practice | Yes, phrases | Recordings by locals |
| Singlish Lah | Yes, phrases | A native Singaporean |
| Tandem | PartlyWith a partner from Singapore | The partner's own |
| Preply | PartlyWith a tutor from Singapore | The tutor's own |
| italki | PartlyWith a teacher from Singapore | The teacher's own |
| uTalk | No | Other kinds of English |
| Duolingo | No | Not about Singlish |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Singlish — Learn & Practice | Not stated | It is free to download and sells a monthly subscription called Singlish Pro. |
| Singlish Lah | Not stated | It is free to download. |
The number of languages you can use an app in isn't the same as the languages its lessons explain things in, so check one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Supported language pairs |
| Singlish — Learn & Practice | 1 | App Store |
| Singlish Lah | 1 | App Store |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
Which Singlish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Singlish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Singlish — Learn & Practice if you'd like to hear common expressions spoken by people from Singapore first. To combine an app with TV and a tutor, see the best way to learn Singlish.
Do Singlish apps teach the same thing as English apps?
No. English apps teach the standard English used at school and work. Singlish apps teach the casual speech, such as lah at the end of a sentence and lor for a point that should be obvious. For the standard English used in Singapore, see Standard Singapore English.
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: Singlish
- Wikipedia: Singlish vocabulary (particles, word origins)
- Wikipedia: Singaporean English (Standard Singapore English and Singlish)
- Singlish — Learn & Practice: iPhone App Store listing
- Singlish — Learn & Practice: the app's own site
- Singlish Lah: iPhone App Store listing
- uTalk: English courses in the store
- Duolingo: course list
- Tandem: Learn English in Singapore
- Preply: English tutors (country of birth filter)
- italki: English teachers (Teachers from filter)
- Tandem: what's free
- italki: 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
