Engagement vs Understanding

“While I do appreciate the accessibility that Duolingo has brought to the language learning community, I think it is highly, highly overrated. As someone who is qualified in linguistics and experienced in language teaching and learning, I can say that Duolingo simply does not work. This is not to say that Duolingo shouldn't be used at all. It's a good tool for language practice. Used in conjunction with a language course or a teacher, it’s all good. The problem is when people try to use Duolingo to learn a language to fluency. Duolingo has always annoyed me, but I have been holding off writing anything negative about it for years because I like to keep my blog a positive place. But I decided to write this post for people who might be considering or using Duolingo to learn a language, who may not understand the science of language learning. Duolingo provides little to no grammar instruction, offers sentences in random context, and uses a rigid answer system, all of which limit users' ability to internalize knowledge and apply it in real-world situations. As a result, while users may feel motivated by points, streaks, and gamified achievements, their language skills often remain superficial.” (Larsen, 2025).

Duolingo is the most recognizable and popular educational app in the world; however, the ability for users to get any meaningful learning out of it. The Duolingo app is very easily accessible and provides a very engaging experience for users to try and learn a new language; however, it fails to deliver a deep understanding of the fluency of the selected language. The reason that Duolingo fails to engage on a deeper level with the users is that the app relies on superficial engagement through the use of streaks and points, or rewards for the users.

While some of the users may feel a sense of accomplishment from these aspects, they are not connecting with what they are trying to learn in a meaningful way. These insights gained from this article directly relate to online banking apps, where if the underlying financial information is not explained clearly, it can result in users not understanding the implications of their financial decisions.

References:

Larsen, M. (n.d.). Why I don't recommend Duolingo (Review) - It doesn't work. AutoLingual. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://autolingual.com/duolingo-review/

Ai was not used in the creation of this article