What is Xolingo?
Xolingo is a language-learning app for iPhone that builds vocabulary through reading. You read graded courses and texts in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian, tap any word for a translation, save it to a word bank, and then practice those exact words with spaced flash cards and fill-in-the-blank quizzes. It is free to start, needs no account and shows no ads. It is made by Axolottalove LLC.
How Xolingo works
Xolingo is a loop with four steps, and each step feeds the next.
- Read. Choose a course, browse leveled articles, or bring a text of your own.
- Save. Tap a word or select a phrase to see its meaning and examples. Save it to your word bank together with the sentence it came from.
- Play. Practice the words you saved with spaced flash cards and short fill-in-the-blank rounds in the Arcade.
- Master. As a word becomes familiar, its highlight in the text fades. A word you mark as mastered leaves your word bank, and the page gets cleaner as you learn.
What you can read
- Courses. Ordered, story-led units that introduce useful language in sequence, without locking you onto a rigid path.
- Leveled reading. Articles, stories and travel guides labeled A1, A2, B1, B2 and B2+. The labels use the CEFR scale as a guide. They are Xolingo's own grading, not a certification.
- Your own material. Paste a text or import a supported text or e-book file. It gets the same highlighting, word cards and progress. Imported content stays private on your device.
Texts come from Xolingo's own originals and from openly licensed sources, with attribution kept beside each text. You can try some of them on the web first: free graded readings with questions.
How you practice
- Word bank. Every saved word has a familiarity level, so you can see what is new and what is nearly learned.
- Flash cards. Review your word bank with spaced flash cards.
- The Arcade. Ten-question fill-in-the-blank rounds, with streaks and points, built from your saved words. There are also decks of the most frequent words and themed decks for work, travel, food, health and money.
Languages
Xolingo has five languages: English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese and Italian. Each can be the language you speak or the one you are learning. The interface, translations, word bank and progress follow your choice.
What it costs
Free includes unlimited reading, highlighting, read-aloud, flash cards and progress, plus five new translations and saved words or phrases a day, and the Arcade frequency decks for ranks 1 to 500. Xolingo Pro removes the daily limit and unlocks every Arcade deck, including themed decks and a deck built from your own word bank. Pro is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year on the US store; the app shows your local price before you pay. There is no account and no advertising. See the pricing section for the full list.
Who Xolingo is for, and who it isn't
Xolingo is for independent learners who want real reading, a memory loop built from the words they actually met, and less pressure than a streak-driven app.
It is not a grammar, speaking or writing course. It is on iPhone only for now, with an Android version in development. And it has five languages, not dozens. If you need a language Xolingo doesn't offer, or you want a different kind of practice, the comparison with LingQ, Clozemaster and Anki shows where those tools are the better choice.
Quick answers
What is Xolingo?
Xolingo is a language-learning app for iPhone that builds vocabulary through reading. You read graded courses and texts in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian, tap any word for a translation, save it to a word bank, and then practice those exact words with spaced flash cards and fill-in-the-blank quizzes. It is free to start, needs no account and shows no ads. It is made by Axolottalove LLC.
What can I read in Xolingo?
You can follow ordered courses made of short story-led units, browse leveled articles, stories and travel guides labeled A1 to B2+, or paste a text or import a supported e-book file of your own. Every text works the same way: tap a word to see its meaning and save it.
Which languages does Xolingo teach?
Xolingo has five languages: English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese and Italian. Any of them can be the language you speak or the language you are learning, so an Italian speaker can learn English and an English speaker can learn Portuguese.
Is Xolingo a grammar or speaking course?
No. Xolingo focuses on reading, listening, vocabulary and recall practice. Explicit grammar lessons, speaking drills and writing practice are outside the first release.
How much does Xolingo cost?
Xolingo is free to start. Reading, highlighting, read-aloud, flash cards and progress are free with no time limit, and free learners can translate and save five new words or phrases a day. Xolingo Pro removes that limit and opens every Arcade deck, at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year on the US store.