Yes, people have learned languages using Duolingo, often achieving conversational skills for travel or as a strong foundation, but most experts and users agree that Duolingo alone is rarely enough for true fluency, requiring additional resources like reading, speaking practice, and immersion for advanced proficiency. Many find it excellent for vocabulary, grammar basics, and consistency, but it's best as a tool within a broader learning strategy.
no. Not even Duolingo says it's possible, you need others resources. You can learn with Duolingo (sometimes questionable) but fluency requires a lot more.
Learned some vocab through Duolingo and then went on to become fluent with other resources? That's entirely possible. Duolingo is a supplementary resource . If you want to learn a language reading books and consuming comprehensible spoken media in the language is a lot more straightforward and effective way.
Duolingo includes LGBTQ+ content to reflect its diverse, global user base and normalize queer identities as a normal part of life, featuring queer characters like Lin and Bea in stories to promote understanding and inclusivity, though this has led to controversy and censorship in countries like Russia. The company views this representation as aligning with its educational mission to provide relatable content for everyone, treating LGBTQ+ people like any other individuals in everyday situations.
Advanced English: C1 and C2 Levels
While Duolingo can give you a strong foundation, reaching these advanced levels usually needs extra resources. Think of Duolingo as your training wheels. You'll need to start reading books, watching movies, and having deep conversations to fully reach these levels.
People quit Duolingo primarily due to motivational burnout from streak anxiety, lack of clear learning goals, repetitive and shallow lessons, frustration with monetization, and the need for more comprehensive learning tools.
Sometimes Duo has very easy exercises under " today's review", I remember I had 2 very easy unit rewinds (German and Yiddish) that day, that's how I reached 30.000 XP in one day. Speaking exercises are easy, with the 3XP bonus they give 2x 60 XP per minute for French. (an exercise takes 30 sec.)
The company also failed to address consumer concerns about accuracy and quality. “They basically cut the entire customer out of the messaging, the decision, the product's decision, and that's why I think the backlash was so stark, especially for something like learning a language,” Liu said.
130 is an excellent Duolingo score, showing strong English proficiency at a C1 level. Understanding the test structure helps you stay calm and perform better on exam day. It's always necessary to take regular practice tests and get feedback so you can spot mistakes and improve faster.
17 Best Duolingo Alternatives Worth Considering
It allows learners around the globe to gauge their progress and see how their friends and family are doing, too. Your Duolingo Score is out of 160 points—just like the Duolingo English Test—and our most advanced courses currently cover content through 120 (the end of the CEFR level B2).
There's no single "#1" language app, as the best choice depends on your goals, but Duolingo excels for beginners due to its gamification, accessibility (free tier), and habit-building, while Babbel is praised for structured lessons, LingQ for immersive, content-based learning, and AI tutors like LanguaTalk's AI-powered apps (e.g., TalkPal) for conversational practice, with others like Busuu, Pimsleur, and Memrise also highly recommended for different learning styles.
Since 2012, the Duolingo app and its owl mascot Duo, have made learning a language an enjoyable experience for over 500 million learners in 194 countries with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
The average score on the Duolingo English Test is 110. The 75th percentile score is 125. (This means that 25% of test takers scored above 125.)
If you practice for 15 minutes a day, you can finish the Duolingo Spanish course in 6 to 12 months. However, there is a major difference between finishing the app and speaking the language. Because Duolingo focuses on translation games rather than conversation, it can take years to become fluent using their app.
At Score 130, learners are expected to be proficient enough for a knowledge-based job. "Who would've thought that the dog runs so fast?" Reflects highly advanced mastery of language, with nuanced vocabulary and complex structures.
In contrast, the Duolingo English Test, while innovative, is less formal and does not go into as much depth found in IELTS, especially in the Speaking and Writing sections.
C1 Level: DET score range 130-150. C2 Level: DET score range 155-160.
One of the worst thing about Duolingo is there is no clear grammar guide . This is why I think Duolingo is only supplement to learn languages, and never be the replacement of other classes.
Duolingo CEO admits his controversial AI memo 'did not give enough context' and insists the company never laid off full-time employees. Billionaire Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has a message for his employees: He doesn't want to lay them off.
He is one of Duolingo's queer characters, along with Bea and Lin; It is confirmed he is homosexual (attracted to men). Oscar is one of the 2 Main Characters depicted with facial hair alongside Vikram with Oscar has a mustache while Vikram has a beard. Oscar can appear either with Eddy or Lucy in auto-generated stories.
I came across a user on Duolingo who had earned over 95,000 XP in one day. This must be an all time record for one day score. It was accomplished on Nov 10, 2024 by the following user: 2HandsPDX.
These chests were special offers that provided 15- minute XP boosts - the Early Bird Chest for completing lessons between 6am and 12pm (redeemable between 6pm and 12am the same day), and the Night Owl Chest for completing lessons between 6pm and 12am (redeemable between 6am and 12pm the following day).
Generally about an hour a day broken up into one 30 to 45 minutes in the morning and 15 to 30 in the evening. With a little less than 1k xp on an average day.