Top 4 Apps to learn Hebrew

Apps to help you learn basic Hebrew

Drops

Download it even if just for the UI.

This beautifully designed app teaches vocabulary from over 20 languages including Hebrew.

The basic premise is to encourage short but regular practice, learning the language drop by drop.

You choose how much time per day you want to spend learning.

The app will present words, with audio, dropping from top of the screen with accompanying pictures.

You can choose to learn words from many different categories and, after you learn 50 items, you can enter the practice mode — Tough Word Dojo.

Drops nailed how to motivate people who appreciate beautiful visuals.

I log in there just to see the delightful colours and animations, even if I already know most words!

Free Hebrew by NEMO (iOS, Android)

This is a good selection of flashcards with introductory words and phrases, and audio.

The app encourages you to record your pronunciation of specific words and compare it with the native speaker’s recording.

NEMO has handy sections of phrases grouped by topic; in the free version you get access to the essential phrases and questions, including (a nice idea!) sections like “If you only learn 10 things”, or “If you only learn 50 things”.

To access phrasebook chapters like “Love & Kisses”, or “Tech & Communication” you will have to subscribe.

ClozeMaster

I learned about Cloze tests in my Ulpan classes in Israel.

Even though I now know it’s a common practice method in language learning, I still associate it primarily with Hebrew.

Cloze Master is an app and a desktop game where you have to fill in a missing word in a sentence.

You can choose to rely on your creativity, or opt for an assisted version where you’re given options to select from. There are almost 100k sentences to learn Hebrew from English.

You can play different “sets of sentences” organised by difficulty.

Each sentence is read out by a native speaker and, if you find it hard, interesting, or funny, you can save it for later.

Great fun even for advanced learners!

Hebrew Basic Phrases (Android)

This is a simple collection of words and phrases with audio, divided into categories.

The design is far from perfect — a rather crude 90’s style, in stark contrast to Drops. 

But, that shouldn’t be a reason to dismiss this app!

The reason why this phrase-based app made it to my list is the unusualchoice of vocab categories.

Apart from your standard ‘days of the week’ and ‘weather’, you have delights such as ‘fuel and maintenance’ — including words for ‘alternating current’ or ‘3-phase’ — and ‘mine warfare terms’ with entries such as ‘grappling hook’ and ‘cleared lane’.

You won’t learn it in any other standard app, that’s for sure!

It also works offline, so you can talk about mines even when you don’t have wifi.