Speak

Speak: the language app built around actually talking

Most language apps drill vocabulary and hope conversation follows. Speak inverts that: the entire product is organized around getting words out of your mouth, from day one. Its "Speak Method" moves through three phases — learn phrases the way native speakers actually say them, practice them until they come out automatically, then apply them in open-ended, real-time conversation with the app's AI Speak Tutor, which listens and corrects your pronunciation and phrasing as you go.

English speakers can study Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese, and the app also teaches English to speakers of other languages — the market where Speak first took off in South Korea. Lessons are expert-designed but sequenced by AI to match your level, with streaks, progress tracking, and (on the Premium Plus tier) custom lessons generated from your own recurring mistakes.

Key Features

• Real-time AI conversation practice with the Speak Tutor
• Instant feedback on pronunciation and phrasing while you talk
• Expert-built curriculum personalized and sequenced by AI
• Six learning languages for English speakers, plus English for non-native speakers
• Streaks, reminders, and level-matched progress tracking
• "Made for You" custom lessons built from your mistakes (Premium Plus)

Ideal Use Case

Speak fits learners whose bottleneck is speaking confidence rather than reading or grammar — people preparing to travel, relocate, or work in a second language who need conversational reps without the cost or scheduling of a human tutor.

How Speak differentiates

Speak is one of the most heavily validated companies in AI language learning: it raised a $78M Series C in December 2024 at a $1B valuation, led by Accel with participation from the OpenAI Startup Fund, Khosla Ventures, and Y Combinator, and reports over 15 million downloads with a 4.8-star average rating. The OpenAI relationship gives it early access to frontier speech and language models.

FAQ

Is Speak free? No — Speak offers a 7-day free trial, after which it requires a Premium or Premium Plus subscription. Pricing varies by region and there are no lock-in contracts.

What languages can I learn with Speak? English speakers can learn Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, Italian, and Simplified Chinese. Speakers of many other languages can use Speak to learn English.

How is Speak different from Duolingo? Duolingo centers on gamified reading and tapping exercises; Speak centers on out-loud conversation with an AI tutor that corrects your speech in real time.

Who is behind Speak? Speak is a Y Combinator alum backed by the OpenAI Startup Fund, Accel, and Khosla Ventures, valued at $1B as of its December 2024 Series C.

tl;dr

Speak is an OpenAI-backed, $1B-valuation language app that replaces flashcard drilling with real-time spoken conversation and pronunciation feedback across six learning languages plus English.

Related

Looking for more options? Browse the Education & Learning directory or read our best AI education tools listicle. Speak is also tracked on Crunchbase.