Pimsleur
Shares rank 4 of 12 language learning apps by recommenders
People recommend it as an audio-based course that builds pronunciation, vocabulary and conversation through structured repetition. Critics say it does not work well as a complete way to learn a language.
People recommend it as an audio-based course that builds pronunciation, vocabulary and conversation through structured repetition. Critics say it does not work well as a complete way to learn a language.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 69%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Audio and repetition approach
“starting with something like Pimsleur which is the same idea (audio and repetition) but more structured and focused”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Learning a Language Using Only Words You Know” “end up with good pronunciation, vocab and a conversational skills”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking” Good pronunciation and conversation
“end up with good pronunciation, vocab and a conversational skills”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking” “Pimsleur is also a great place to start for spoken fist”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Learning a Language Using Only Words You Know”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak as a complete method
“debatable whether that will get you out of A1 by itself”
Comment from 27 Mar 2026 in “French e, è, é, ê, ë – what's the difference?” “is a pretty poor tool if you want to actually learn a language”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Learning a Language Using Only Words You Know” Poor for Mandarin
“Pimsleur is awful for Mandarin. I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Learning a Language Using Only Words You Know” Forced acting breaks immersion
“The acting is so forced that it completely breaks the immersion.”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “What's the best way to learn a new language?”
Other language learning apps people recommend
The four most recommended other language learning apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | 39 | 111 | 26% | 12 | 3 yrs4 owners | — |
| 9M Mandarin tone speech model | 14 | 5 | 74% | 1 | — | — |
| Language Transfer | 13 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| PimsleurThis page | 9 | 4 | 69% | 6 | — | — |
| Voxel Tokyo | 9 | 5 | 64% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“end up with good pronunciation, vocab and a conversational skills”
“debatable whether that will get you out of A1 by itself”
“The acting is so forced that it completely breaks the immersion.”
“I've always been satisfied with the results.”
“running a challenge on an older class definitely gives me a feeling of "okay, I definitely know this material"”
“is a pretty poor tool if you want to actually learn a language”
“Pimsleur is awful for Mandarin. I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it.”
“Pimsleur is also a great place to start for spoken fist”
“starting with something like Pimsleur which is the same idea (audio and repetition) but more structured and focused”
“the Mandarin teaching is good enough that my in-laws are happy when I speak with them”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.