DuolingoDuolingo's course list, read on October 15, 2026, has one English course, taught from more than 30 languages. Nothing on the list is named British English, and Duolingo's course pages don't say whether the course follows British or American English.
Duolingo's blog says the "r" in car and park usually goes quiet unless a vowel comes right after it, and a group can take a plural verb, as in "Our team are winning." For free lessons and dictionaries from the UK, see our British English guide.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn British English. You learn from British English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons in British English at your level, about things you care about. Ask for a rainy weekend in London, and your friends in the lesson check the Tube and stop for chips. When a word or phrase is new, tap it or ask Poppy how people use it.
To practice speaking with someone from the UK, look at the tutors and partners below.
- British English is its own journey, with British spelling and words, read aloud in a British accent.
- You pick the level and the topics for each lesson.
- Regenerative Review™ works your saved words into new British English lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- There's no way to add a book or article you already have.
- 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 British English
Mobile
British English Courses
Memrise
After you learn a set of words, Memrise plays videos of people from the UK using them.
- Its British English course has more than 70 lessons built around real situations.
- Practice talking in more than 75 AI conversations.
- Teaches British English
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk keeps British English apart from its Australian English course, so you hear one accent from start to finish.
- Its British English voices both worked for the BBC, as a TV presenter or an actor.
- You learn more than 2,500 words and phrases through games, across more than 60 topics.
- Teaches British English
MobileWeb
Practice With People From the UK
Preply
Pick a tutor whose intro video sounds like the part of the UK you care about.
- Preply has a page of British English tutors.
- You can watch each tutor's intro video and read reviews before you book.
MobileWeb
Tandem
Find a partner on Tandem's London page, and teach them your language in return.
- Chat with voice notes, or call by audio or video.
- A partner can correct the English you write.
MobileWeb
How to Start With Each App
| App | How You Can Start |
|---|---|
| Memrise | It's free to download, and Memrise Pro opens everything. |
| uTalk | Starter words cost nothing, and you can buy British English or subscribe to every language. |
| Preply | You pay per lesson, at the price each tutor sets. |
| Tandem | You can chat with partners for free, and Tandem Pro is a paid upgrade. |
Common Questions
Which British English app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning British English, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or try Memrise if you'd like a course that walks you through everyday situations.
Which British words are different from American ones?
In the UK, people wear trousers and trainers, ride a lift, and fill the car with petrol, where Americans say pants, sneakers, elevator, and gas.
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
- Duolingo: course list (read October 15, 2026)
- Duolingo: English course for Spanish speakers
- Duolingo Blog: English Dialects: American English, British English, and More (r before a vowel; The government are; trousers, lift, petrol)
- uTalk: Learn Australian English (a separate English variety)
- Memrise: British English course
- Memrise: current iPhone listing
- uTalk: Learn British English (voice artists who worked for the BBC)
- uTalk: current iPhone listing (free starter words)
- Preply: British English tutors
- Tandem: Learn English in London
- Tandem: current iPhone listing
- Bubblegum
- Tandem
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
