Southern US English is the one to learn if you plan to live in or visit the southern United States, or to talk with family there. It has its own words, like y'all, which means you all, and fixin' to, which means about to. Accents also change from place to place across the South. Most English apps teach a general American or British English, and our English app comparison covers apps for any kind of English.
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, that you're visiting your cousins in Georgia this summer. She writes a lesson at your level about a family cookout. Ask her what a word like y'all means.
To practice with people from the South, try a partner or tutor in Practice With People From the South.
- Lessons are in Southern US English, written for living in or visiting the southern US.
- Lessons are read aloud in Southern accents, from voices that speak with Gulf Coast and Inland Southern accents.
- 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.
- Voices cover two Southern accents, so you won't hear every local accent in the South.
- 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
Tandem
On Tandem, you help someone with your language while they help you with English. Search for partners in Houston, and ask them to explain the local words they use.
- Tandem has a page for English speakers in Houston.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply lists English tutors from many countries. If you find one from the South, tell them which situations you want to practice, so the examples fit your life there.
- 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 for a teacher from the South if you want to hear the way people there talk.
- Filter English teachers by where they're from.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
Wikipedia's article on Southern American English lists Southern words and grammar, such as y'all and fixin' to, and names the states where the accent is found. The Dictionary of American Regional English, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, records words and pronunciations that change from place to place in the United States. It has audio from its fieldwork recordings. You can subscribe to the online edition or buy the print volumes.
| 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. |
Try one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
Which Southern US 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 Tandem if you would like to talk with people in Houston first.
Do people across the South talk the same way?
No. The Southern accent is found in many states, from Virginia to Texas, and it sounds different from one place to the next. Bubblegum's Southern US English lessons teach the common words and ways of speaking, and a tutor or partner from your city can show you the local sound.
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: Southern US English
- Tandem: Learn English in Houston
- Dictionary of American Regional English (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Wikipedia: Southern American English
- Preply: English tutors (country of birth filter)
- italki: English teachers (Teachers from filter)
- 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)
- italki: what's free
- Bubblegum
- Tandem
