Best apps for learning (or reviewing) a second language

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)

24/7 Tutor offers flash cards, multiple-choice quizzes, and puzzles for several languages, plus native-speaker pronunciations. You may need to know a little bit of the language beforehand, though, because “there’s little in the way of context and no grammar.” (iOS only)

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Source: Wired