The Indilingo journal
Language, culture and the words that connect us
Research, practical guides and stories for people learning to speak with more confidence in real life.
Featured story / Research
Teaching AI to Speak Languages It Barely Knows: Inside CIPHER
Accepted at the ORACLE Workshop at EMNLP 2026: how CIPHER turns AI translation mistakes into an evolving guide for low-resource languages.
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46 articles
ProductOctober 27, 2026
The Best Duolingo Alternatives in 2026
23 Duolingo alternatives compared for 2026: Indilingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, Busuu, Speak and more. Languages, speaking practice, free plans and prices.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Say Hello in 21 Indian Languages
Hello in Hindi is नमस्ते (namaste). See hello in Tamil (vanakkam), Telugu, Malayalam and 17 more Indian languages, with native script and pronunciation.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Learn Spanish: A Practical Plan for Beginners
The best way to learn Spanish is to master its five vowels and survival phrases first, then ser, estar and the present tense, then listen and speak daily.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
The Russian Alphabet: All 33 Letters with Pronunciation
The Russian alphabet has 33 Cyrillic letters. See each one with its name, English sound and an example word, plus false friends and a 7-day plan.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Learn Japanese: A Beginner's Plan from Kana to Kanji
Learn hiragana and katakana first, speak polite desu/masu Japanese from day one, then add kanji through words you know. A beginner plan with free resources.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Say "How Are You?" in 20 Indian Languages
How are you in Hindi is आप कैसे हैं? (aap kaise hain?), and I'm fine is मैं ठीक हूँ (main theek hoon). Polite, casual and gendered forms in 19 more languages.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Learn Korean as a Beginner: Hangul, Sounds and Speech Levels
Learn Hangul first. Its 14 basic consonants and 10 vowels take a few hours. Then learn polite -yo sentences, particles and sound rules, with free resources.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
The Arabic Alphabet: 28 Letters, Sounds and Forms
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, written right to left. See each letter's name, sound and joined forms, plus the vowel marks and a 2-week plan.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Learn French: A Beginner's Plan That Starts With Sound
To learn French, start with sound: silent letters, nasal vowels and liaison. Then learn nouns with le or la, the core verbs, and listen to French daily.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Say Happy Birthday in 14 Indian Languages
Happy birthday in Hindi is जन्मदिन मुबारक हो (janamdin mubaarak ho). See the wish in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Punjabi and 9 more Indian languages, with script.
Language & CultureNovember 3, 2026
How to Learn German: A Beginner's Plan for Sounds, Cases and Word Order
To learn German, start with its regular sounds, learn every noun with der, die or das, then two cases and verb order. FSI estimates 36 weeks full time.
VisionMay 25, 2025
Why We’re Building Indilingo
India recognizes 22 Scheduled Languages alongside countless dialects. Indilingo began here and is building accessible language learning for the world.
VisionJune 10, 2025
How to Learn a Language
Learning a language isn’t just about vocabulary and grammar; it’s about understanding people, culture, and identity.
EngineeringAugust 3, 2025
Clean Code and Clean Architecture
By structuring our app with clear layers, we built a maintainable, framework-agnostic architecture ready for rapid evolution.
EngineeringNovember 19, 2025
How We Keep a 100% Crash-Free Rate at Indilingo
Why Indilingo’s Android app stays 100% crash-free and how a “boring” Single Activity Architecture became our unfair advantage.
EngineeringNovember 19, 2025
Why We Built Our Own Markdown Engine (And Why It Matters)
How building our own markdown engine unlocked speed, flexibility, and interactive learning features across Indilingo.
ProductNovember 22, 2025
The Science of Speaking: How Indilingo’s Live Speech Analytics Boosts Fluency
Why do language learners struggle to speak? Indilingo introduces Live Speech Analytics to provide the feedback loop you are missing. Learn Hindi, Tamil, and more with AI-driven insights on fluency, pronunciation, and grammar.
Language & CultureJanuary 6, 2026
Why You Should Learn Sanskrit: The Ancient Language That Changes How You See the World
Is Sanskrit worth learning today? Seven reasons, from reading the Gita and Upanishads in the original to understanding Hindi and other Indian languages better.
EngineeringMarch 11, 2026
We Built a Python Library that Generates UIDs in Indian Scripts
We built indic-uid, a lightweight Python library that generates unique identifiers using Indian language scripts. It’s already live in the Indilingo app and open sourced for the developer community
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
How to Introduce Yourself in 10 Indian Languages
Learn how to introduce yourself in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Odia with native scripts, pronunciation, and cultural tips.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Hindi vs Tamil: Key Differences and Similarities
Hindi and Tamil are not the same language: Hindi is Indo-Aryan and Tamil is Dravidian. Compare their origins, scripts, grammar, vocabulary and sounds.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
How to Say Thank You in 15 Indian Languages
Thank you in Hindi is dhanyavaad (धन्यवाद) or shukriya. Learn to say thank you in Tamil (nandri), Telugu, Bengali, Marathi and 10 more Indian languages.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Common Hindi Phrases for Beginners: 50 Essential Expressions
50 basic Hindi phrases and short sentences for everyday life in India, from namaste and aap kaise hain to yeh kitne ka hai, with Devanagari and pronunciation.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
How to Learn Hindi in 30 Days: A Realistic Guide
Can you learn to speak Hindi in 30 days? Not fluently, but enough for basic conversations. Here is a week-by-week plan, from Devanagari to small talk.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
A Foreigner's Guide to Indian Languages: Which One Should You Learn?
There is no single Indian language. India recognises 22 scheduled languages, and Hindi is the most widely spoken. Compare them and choose one to learn.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Telugu vs Kannada: A Complete Comparison
Telugu and Kannada are related Dravidian languages whose scripts were nearly identical until the 13th-14th century. Compare scripts, grammar and words.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
7 Indian Languages That Are Easier Than You Think
Which Indian language is easiest depends on what you speak. Why Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali and Marathi are easier than they look.
VisionMay 20, 2026
Why Learning Your Mother Tongue Matters More Than Ever
In a world rushing toward English, your mother tongue is your identity, your cognitive advantage, and your connection to home. Here's why it matters — and why it's worth fighting for.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
The Indian Language Family Tree: How India's 22 Languages Are Connected
How India's 22 scheduled languages are related: Indo-Aryan languages like Hindi, Dravidian ones like Tamil and Telugu, plus Tibeto-Burman and Austroasiatic.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Hindi vs Bengali: Key Differences and Similarities
Bengali and Hindi share Sanskrit roots and word order, but their scripts, sounds and grammar differ enough that Hindi speakers can't easily follow Bengali.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Tamil vs Malayalam: Key Differences and Similarities
Malayalam split from Tamil between the 9th and 13th centuries. Compare their scripts, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, and how much each understands.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
Tribal Languages of India: The Hidden Linguistic Treasure Most Indians Don't Know About
Hundreds of tribal languages are spoken in India, from Santali and Gondi to Bodo and Mizo. Where they are spoken, how they relate and why many are endangered.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
100 Most Common Hindi Words Every Beginner Should Know
Learn 100 common Hindi words for beginners, from pronouns and verbs to time words and everyday expressions, with Devanagari, pronunciation and English meaning.
Language & CultureMay 20, 2026
How to Say I Love You in 15 Indian Languages
Say I love you in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Odia and 7 more Indian languages, with native script, pronunciation and meaning.
ProductJuly 23, 2026
Introducing Mira: Your AI Language Tutor That Calls You on the Phone
Meet Mira by Indilingo - an AI language tutor that calls your phone for real speaking practice. No app, no internet, no typing. Just pick up and start speaking in 100+ languages.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Spanish? Benefits for Travel, Work, and Everyday Life
Is Spanish worth learning? The benefits for travel, work, culture and relationships, how hard it really is, and a 30-day plan to start speaking.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn French? Where It Can Take You
Discover why French remains valuable for travel, international work, study, culture, and relationships across a worldwide Francophone community.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn German? Benefits for Careers, Study, and Travel
A realistic guide to the benefits of learning German for university, professional life, Central European travel, culture, and personal growth.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Japanese? Benefits Beyond Anime
Explore the real benefits of learning Japanese, from travel and relationships to culture, work, and mastering a fascinating writing system.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Korean? Culture, Careers, and Global Connections
Learn why Korean is worth studying for culture, travel, work, heritage, and relationships, plus how Hangul makes starting easier than it looks.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Arabic? Opportunities Across the Arabic-Speaking World
Why Arabic is worth learning for travel, family, faith, culture, and work, with a clear guide to choosing Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Mandarin Chinese? Business, Travel, and Cultural Benefits
A practical guide to why Mandarin Chinese is worth learning, how tones and characters work, and where the language can take you.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Portuguese? One Language Across Multiple Continents
Explore why Portuguese is worth learning for Brazil, Portugal, Africa, travel, work, culture, and connections across the Lusophone world.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Hindi? Connect With India and Its Global Community
Learn why Hindi is valuable for travel, family, culture, and work in India and its diaspora, with an honest guide for beginners.
Language & CultureAugust 24, 2026
Why Learn Tamil? Discover One of the World's Oldest Living Languages
Discover why Tamil is worth learning for family, travel, culture, work, and access to one of the world's great living literary traditions.
