Duolingo has become the world’s best-known language-learning app, but the article argues that its real strength is not teaching fluency, it is keeping users coming back. Written by Dr. Itai Gal and published on June 21, 2026 at 06:01, the piece asks whether the green owl, daily streaks and rewarding sounds are creating an illusion of progress rather than real language ability.
The author, who says he speaks seven languages and has spent the past year struggling daily with Japanese, says his own experience showed the gap between doing well in exercises and functioning in real conversation. He says he spent months using Duolingo with no real progress, which led him to examine why the app is so addictive and what, if anything, it actually improves.
The article notes that Duolingo’s business success is extraordinary. The company is public and trades on Nasdaq. In the first quarter of 2026 it reported 56.5 million daily users, 137.8 million monthly users, 12.5 million paying subscribers and quarterly revenue of $292 million. In 2025, it passed $1 billion in annual revenue. Its design uses short lessons, hearts, points, leagues, streaks, cartoon characters and notifications to make learning feel like a game.
According to the article, the streak is the most powerful tool because users fear losing what they have built, whether that is 200, 500 or 1,000 days. Leagues can also push users to chase points instead of real understanding. The writer says many users repeat easy lessons and avoid hard material, while the app’s controlled format, with one correct answer and no real conversation, creates a false sense of mastery.
The article says Duolingo can still help at the beginning by introducing letters, basic words and a first contact with a new language. It also acknowledges the company’s claims that it can improve reading and listening and sometimes match basic academic courses. But it argues that true language learning requires exposure to natural content, active use, mistakes, correction and real communication, and that Duolingo should be treated as a starter tool, not a full course.
