Duolingo

English

Etymology

All senses ultimately from Duolingo, a language learning app owned by the American educational technology company of the same name; from duo- (“two”) +‎ lingo (“language”).

The first two senses are genericized trademarks.

Noun

Duolingo (plural Duolingos)

(colloquial) A language learning service or application.
- 2020 January 2, Carys Betteley, quoting Dr. Baron, “Language apps: Can phones replace classrooms?”, in BBC News‎^[1]:
  Traditional language teaching has backed away from this a bit - especially at degree level - maybe there's been an element of elitism, snobbishness about the Duolingos and the Babbels that they're not for us, but we're becoming very aware of the modern way students want to learn.
- 2020, Elina Emerald, “Author Notes”, in Betrothed to the Beast (Reformed Rogues), FSES Taito, →ISBN, unnumbered page:
  I speak languages other than English. Unfortunately, none of those are Gaelic (I am trying to learn through a Duolingo app, but it is very slow going). So, I tried to keep the Gaelic to a minimum and even the accents as well because I did not want to massacre a beautiful language with my ineptitude.
- 2021 November 12, Chelsea B, “COP26 Verbs and Nouns in Swedish”, in Swedish Language Blog‎^[2], Transparent Language Online:
  When learning new vocabulary in your target language, it's best to do it within context, rather than drilling yourself with flashcards. The Duolingos of the world are great, but it's proven that people remember new words easier when they are tied to a good story, article, song, or even memory.
- 2022 March 9, Anne O'Donoghue, quoting Dáithí de Mórdha, “House in the Country: homes needed to sustain rural communities”, in Irish Farmers Journal‎^[3], The Agricultural Trust:
  If the community disappears then throw your hat at the Irish language as a living language, because you can have all the Duolingos or Irish language classes, the singing and music that you want, but if Irish ceases to be a living language, if communities go from being living communities to being summer communities – that's it for the language.
(colloquial) A website, service or application that gamifies or simplifies learning, such as through having convenient, guided lessons and an informal (laidback) educational environment.
- 2017 August 17, Bruno Skvorc, “Duolingo for PHP – How Much PHP Can Apps like Mimo Teach?”, in SitePoint‎^[4]:
  Again, hardly a reason to purchase premium at this point. The approach does seem logical, however – if it really aims to be the Duolingo of programming, then it makes sense to present the same concepts you’re already familiar with in another language you’re not familiar with.
- 2019 December 5, Will Betts, “Melodics music practice app comes to iPad”, in MusicTech‎^[5], BandLab Technologies:
  Melodics, the music practice app that’s been described as the Duolingo of music learning, is now available on iPad for all subscribers.
- 2022 March 25, Noami May, “Meet the sisters behind Your Juno, the app aiming to become the Duolingo of finance”, in Stylist‎^[6], The Stylist Group:
  The appetite is clear: the sisters have just raised $2.2 million (£1.7m) in funding from angel investors, 70% of whom are women, to drive them forward in their mission to build Your Juno, which they hope will become the Duolingo of finance – with its short educational videos and gamified content.
- 2024 May 28, “This App Is Like The Duolingo Of Productivity Lessons”, in Bustle‎^[7]:
  Ahead calls itself the "Duolingo of emotional intelligence" because it allows you to pick something to work on — like keeping your cool when you’re mad, being more confident, coping with anxiety, or getting stuff done — and then it presents you with a personalized plan full of skills to practice until you improve.
(colloquial, chiefly Internet slang, uncommon) A lesson on Duolingo.
- 2015 October 9, @hollie_bainton, Twitter‎^[8]:
  I DIDN'T DO MY DAILY DUOLINGO YDAY. S H I T
- 2020, Alexandra Babino, Mary Amanda Stewart, quoting Carmen Elvira, Radicalizing Literacies and Languaging: A Framework Toward Dismantling the Mono-Mainstream Assumption, Springer International Publishing, →ISBN, page 198:
  Because when I wake up in the morning and I see that my daughter is awake so I prepared the lunch for my husband, lunch box, and I get here in my dining room and I started to do it. Or if I am waiting here maybe or waiting in my car, I am doing my Duolingo.
- 2021 December 4, @nycnamjoon, Twitter‎^[9]:
  no girl i was doing the duolingo^[sic] DURING the concert
- 2023 June 10, @JulieGittoes, Twitter‎^[10]:
  This evening my Duolingo has: "there will be a by-election" and "will there be an election next year?"
- 2024 December 29, @KarenMMcKellar, Twitter‎^[11]:
  Today I completed the first read of a manuscript. Have also done today's Duolingo.
(colloquial, Internet slang, rare) A language learning course on Duolingo.
Is doing two Duolingos at once, say Spanish and Russian, a bad idea?