Duolingo

THROWBACK! This is what Duolingo looked like in 2014. Our app has changed a lot in the past 12 years, and we’re proud of how much we’ve improved it – both in terms of learning and design. The app teaches better and looks better too. Do you remember the old app? ⬇️ Tell us in the comments how long you’ve been using Duolingo! 

We asked our learners about the wildest thing they've done to keep their streak alive, and the replies humbled us. - A Chess lesson at 11:55pm on 3% battery.  - A husband tapping in while his wife was giving birth.  - A quick lesson squeezed in right before going under in the operating room.  - Using a stranger's WiFi at a party because the signal dropped. So whatever's between you and today's lesson, there’s no excuse. If these legends pulled it off, so can you. Now get after it. 🔥 🫡Legends, we see you: Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Ndiaye, Otávio Flausino, Prachi Awasthi

Here’s an important phrase to try with your boss in Spanish:  “I would like a raise.” We’re sharing a career tip: teaching you how to level up your salary. So do you know how do you ask for a raise in Spanish? (Answer in the comments.)

Laughter is universal, but typing it out it is not. We laugh the same way across every culture. It’s the same sound, the same rhythm, the same social function. In fact, it’s one of the most consistent things that we do as humans. But when we try to type it? Not so universal. Total chaos. Here’s what laughter looks like in different languages: → Spanish: jajaja — the "j" is pronounced similarly to an English "h"  → Thai: 555 — the word for "five" is pronounced as "ha"  → Korean: ㅋㅋㅋ — ㅋ is the consonant "k," with a sound close to the "coo" in "cool"  → Russian: хахаха — "х" is pronounced like "h” → Arabic: هههههه — vowels are omitted in writing, leaving just a repeated "h" sound  → Japanese: www — shortened form of  笑 (warai), the word for "laugh"  → French: mdr — mort de rire, literally "dying of laughter” Then there's English, which somehow ended up with "LOL,” a phrase that started out earnest, quickly turned sarcastic, spawned alternatives like lolz, lel, and lollerskates, and got officially added the Oxford English Dictionary treatment in 2011. You’re not safe with an emoji either. The 😂 you've used since 2015 has been migrated to 😭 and 💀 (thanks to Gen Z). Give it a few years, and those will be gone, too. Learning a language teaches you the grammar, and the internet teaches you how to laugh in that language. These are the kinds of conversations that bubble up in our team meetings at Duolingo, and somehow, it still counts as work. How lucky are we? Read the full blog post here. https://lnkd.in/gwC4ZwkQ

Learning doesn't stop as we age. It evolves. And we're looking for the learners who prove it every day — we’re looking our oldest learners with the longest streaks. A Duolingo survey of 2,000 Americans found that 43% of people feel more successful at learning now than when they were younger. With age comes patience, purpose, and a desire to learn for yourself. Bonus points: As we grow older, learning a new skill can help delay cognitive decline and boost memory. Younger learners may have a speed advantage, but older learners bring something equally powerful like life experience and problem-solving abilities. This is a casting call for our oldest learners with the longest streaks. We want to hear your (or your parent or grandparent's) story. Drop a comment below or send us a DM. 🦉

Happy Mother's Day to every mom out there. 🌸 And an extra special shout-out to the ones who decided contractions were no match for a streak. You know who you are. One mom finished a lesson while in labor. Another's husband repurchased streak freezes daily through 4 days of on-and-off labor so her streak would survive the birth of their daughter. And one mom — at 5am, while in labor — completed her daily Dutch practice before heading to the hospital. We can’t make this up. And we have the receipts to prove it. Iconic? Yes. Unhinged? Perhaps. But, we respect it (and moms) deeply. We have a feeling these moms are not alone. If you have a story like this, drop it in the comments. 👇 Happy Mother's Day to Larissa Alt, Judith Beyer, Caroline Ouwerkerk, and all the moms and mom-figures out there!

Are you smarter than a 2nd, 5th, or even a 12th grader? (You can tell us – this is a safe space.) Find out by looking at the Math questions below. Which ones did you get right?  For the ones you missed, don’t worry – we got you! We now have Duolingo Math content from 2nd to 12th grade. You can learn basic arithmetic, algebra, and even…. <gasp> calculus!  Math can be hard, but as always, we make it fun and free. Tell us which math problems you got right below. ⬇️ Try Duolingo Math on iOS, Android, Web: https://lnkd.in/e-Zda35k

“I’m… kind of good at Spanish?” What does that even mean? Language ability is weirdly hard to explain. “Pretty good” to one person might mean ordering tacos. To another, it means debating politics. To help our learners better explain their language level, we created the Duolingo Score. What is the Duolingo Score? It's one simple number, from 0 to 130, which describes your language skills. It’s also aligned with the CEFR, a global standard that defines language levels based on what you can actually do in real life. 10 → Introduce yourself 30 → Order food 50 → Give directions 70 → Read a short story 90 → Watch a TV show 110 → Communicate at work No more vague answers. Just a clear signal of what you can actually do. What’s your score? Drop it below—and tell us the last real thing you did in your new language. We want receipts. 💚

If you’ve taken a standardized test before, you’ll know what to do with this puzzle. (Hint: Laughter is universal, but typing it out is not.) HAHA : ENGLISH :: JAJA : SPANISH :: ?? a) RERE : TURKISH b) 马马马 : CHINESE c) 555 : THAI d) POOPOO : CHILDREN

In Q1, we made progress on the strategy we laid out last quarter. Speaking is now a core part of the learning experience, and we’ve added more features and content to continue to support learners. We're still early in executing our 2026 plan, but we're building a product that drives long-term engagement and loyalty.  We believe that's what will make Duolingo a much larger and more durable business over time. See our shareholder letter for more information: https://lnkd.in/eUHyT_Z4