EthnoLingo

EthnoLingo is a phone app for learning the languages and culture of Akwa Ibom. You learn through short audio lessons recorded with speakers of the language, check yourself with quizzes, and practise saying words out loud.

Ibibio, Anaañ (Annang) and Ọrọ (Oron). You choose one when you sign up and can switch to another at any time from the Learning tab.

EthnoLingo is launching soon on Android (Google Play) and iPhone (App Store). Join the waitlist and we'll tell you the day it's ready. Join the waitlist

EthnoLingo is free to download and learn with, and there are no ads.

Yes. Everyone starts at beginner level with single words and short phrases, each with audio, the native text and its English translation. You then move on to intermediate, and advanced sentences are on the way.

A few minutes. Lessons are short and grouped by topic, such as colours, time and animals. You can set a daily goal in Settings, and a daily reminder nudges you if you haven't practised yet.

After every few lessons you get a short round of questions on the words you've just learned: listen and choose, fill the blank or pick the right word. Score 70% or more to pass the round and move on. If you don't pass, you can try it again.

Tap the microphone and say the word. The app compares your voice with a native speaker's recording and gives you a score. Words you find hard come back for more practice. The microphone is only used while you practise, and we keep only your score, never the recording.

You earn XP for every correct answer, and it decides your place on the leaderboard. Your streak counts the days in a row you've finished a session; miss a day and it starts again. Gems come from passing topics, streak milestones and daily rewards, and you can spend them on outfits for the EthnoLingo mascot.

Yes, once a month. The day after you miss, open the streak screen and tap Restore streak, and your run comes back. The offer is only open that next day, and it covers a single missed day. You get a new restore on the 1st of every month.

Partly. You need a connection to sign in and to load new lessons, but lessons and audio you've already opened are saved on your phone, so you can keep going on a weak connection. Your progress is sent to your account when you're back online.

Once a day, at a time you choose, the app sends a notification to remind you to practise. It only comes if you haven't studied yet that day, so it never nags you after you've finished. Reminders are on from the start and set to 7 pm. You can pick any time from 6 am to 10 pm under Settings → Reminder time, and it follows your phone's time zone, so it still arrives at the right hour when you travel.

A streak alert at 10 pm if you have a streak going and haven't practised that day, so you have time to save it. If you do miss a day, a message the next morning tells you that you can restore your streak. You can also turn on a weekly report, sent on Sunday evenings, with a summary of your week's progress; it's off unless you switch it on. Each one has its own switch in Settings.

First, make sure notifications are allowed for EthnoLingo in your phone's settings. If they're blocked, the app shows a notice in Settings. Then check that Push notifications and Daily reminder are switched on in the app's Settings. Remember that the reminder is skipped on days you've already practised.

Go to Settings in the app and switch off Daily reminder, Streak alert or Weekly report. To stop all of them at once, switch off Push notifications. You can turn them back on whenever you like.

No. Your progress, XP, streak and gems are saved to your account. Sign in on your new phone and you'll pick up where you left off.

Other learners see your name, your avatar and your XP. Your email address and other account details are never shown to anyone.

We'll email you on launch day, and send a WhatsApp message too if you asked for one. We use your details only to tell you about the launch, and every message has a link to stop them.

EthnoLingo is made for learners aged 13 and over.

We collect only what we need to run your account and save your progress. We don't show ads, use tracking tools or sell your information. Read the privacy policy

In the app, go to Settings and tap Delete account. You can also ask us by email if you no longer have the app. How account deletion works