The Top 5 Free Tools to Boost Your English Listening and Speaking Skills
- Thomas
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
Learning English doesn’t have to be expensive—or boring. Whether you’re trying to improve your pronunciation, understand native speakers better, or learn new vocabulary in real-life contexts, the internet has tons of amazing resources. But with so many tools out there, it’s hard to know which ones are actually worth your time. Listed below are my favorite websites and browser extensions that make learning both fun and interactive and guess what? They're free!
1. Rachel’s English (YouTube Channel)
🎯 Best for: American English pronunciation and reductions
Rachel’s English is a YouTube channel run by Rachel Smith, a former opera singer who now teaches American English pronunciation. Her videos break down how native speakers really talk, including connected speech, reductions, stress, and intonation.
Rachel’s lessons are perfect for learners who want to sound more natural and better understand fast speech. She explains things clearly and often uses slow-motion mouth movements, which is super helpful for visual learners. She also uses clips from some of my favorite shows, like "Friends," to help you see what natural pronunciation looks like in daily speech.
She has over 1,500 videos on her channel and most all of them are free! So don't wait, go subscribe to Rachel's English now!
2. YouGlish
🎯 Best for: Hearing how real people use English words in context
Have you ever learned a new word but weren’t sure how to pronounce it—or when to use it? YouGlish solves that. It’s a powerful search engine that lets you type in any English word or phrase and instantly hear real people saying it in YouTube videos, TED talks, interviews, and more.
YouGlish is great for:
• Improving your pronunciation by listening to real native speakers
• Noticing how words are used in different contexts
• Learning sentence stress and intonation patterns
You can also choose the accent (US, UK, or Australian) and replay sections as needed.
3. Immersive Translate (Browser Extension)
🎯 Best for: Translating websites and Netflix subtitles with two languages side-by-side
Immersive Translate is a free browser extension (available for Chrome and Firefox) that helps learners read in English without constantly switching back and forth between tabs or translation apps. It shows both the English and your native language side by side—perfect for reading articles, news, or even watching videos with subtitles.
Key features:
• Bilingual subtitle support for YouTube, Netflix, Coursera, and more
• Real-time translation of webpages (you could be reading this article right now with both English and your native language side-by-side)
• Adjustable layout and font size for easy reading
It’s especially useful for learners who want to immerse themselves in English content but still need support when something’s unclear.
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4. Language Reactor (Browser Extension + Website)
🎯 Best for: Watching movies, TV shows, and YouTube in English with study tools
The Language Reactor extension is one of the most popular browser tools for language learners. It adds powerful features to Netflix and YouTube videos like:
• Dual subtitles (your language + English at the same time)
• Instant dictionary lookup
• Phrase saving for review
• Speed control and auto-pause between subtitles
There’s also a Language Reactor website, where you can read short stories, role play with an AI, and find news articles with helpful translations, audio, and review tools.
This tool is amazing for developing your listening and vocabulary naturally, especially if you love learning through TV shows or movies.
5. Engoo Daily News
🎯 Best for: Reading and listening practice with real-world topics
Engoo Daily News is a section of the Engoo website that offers free daily news articles written for English learners. Each article includes:
• Audio read by an AI that sounds extremely close to a real native speaker
• Definitions for new words you'll find in the article
• Comprehension questions to test your understanding
• Grammar and discussion prompts that you can use with another speaker or tutor to practice your conversation skills
The articles range from intermediate to advanced and cover current events, science, culture, and more. It’s a great way to build vocabulary while staying up to date with world news.
(You don’t need to sign up for tutoring to use this resource—just head to the news section!)
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re trying to improve your pronunciation, listen more actively, or learn how native speakers actually talk, these five tools can make a huge difference in your English learning journey.
And the best part? They’re all free to use, so you can start right now. 💪
Have you used any of these tools before? Let me know which one helped you the most—or if there’s another one you think should be on this list!
