Babbel offers a free vocabulary tutor that seems to produce results faster than the two free rival apps below. Each turns a smartphone into “an endless stack of interactive flash cards,” and Babbel supplies “clear, native-speaker pronunciation of every word and phrase.” In-depth online lessons cost $7.45 a month. (iOS and Android)
MindSnacks specializes in speed-based language games that gain in complexity each time you triumph. The games we tested proved “surprisingly effective.” (Free for 3 levels, then $5 for 47 more; iOS only)
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