No Bengali On Duolingo? Meet The Best Alternative To Get You Covered

There is no Bengali on Duolingo, and that makes me very disappointed. I’m very interested in learning Bengali. Mostly because I have friends who speak Bengali as their native language, and it would be very nice for me to have the opportunity to learn this interesting language on Duolingo.

Before we dive into the alternative apps to learn Bengali, let’s take a look at what the Bengali language is and why it’s important to learn.

Why Bengali Should Be On Duolingo

Why is there no Bengali on Duolingo when it’s a fascinating subject? Bengali, also known by its endonym Bangla (বাংলা), is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent.

Having a Bengali course for English speakers on Duolingo would be awesome! As I already said, Bengali is one of the most-spoken languages in the world! I am currently learning Bengali and would love to have Duolingo help me during the process.

I’ve been waiting for a Duolingo Bengali course for years. It would be so helpful as there’s a great deal of Bengali literature worth reading, let alone all the speaking opportunities, and there are over 300 million speakers worldwide. 

I have friends who are Americans born Bangladeshi and lost most of their abilities to speak the language when they grew up in the US. Even though they can still understand the language, being able to practice on Duolingo and learning to read and write would be an amazing experience for them.

They feel so ashamed when they can’t communicate with family members in Bangladesh, and their parents are a bit too busy to teach them.

Also, there are many foreigners who work in Bangladesh as health workers. Sometimes, locals struggle to trust them because they are foreigners and don’t speak their language, so it would help a lot if they knew the Bengali language!

Where Is Bengali Spoken?

Bengali is the official and national language of Bangladesh, with 98% of Bangladeshis using it as their first language. Within India, Bengali is the official language of the states of West Bengal, Tripura, and the Barak Valley region of the state of Assam. It is the most widely spoken language in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as in the Bay of Bengal.

Also, it is spoken by significant populations in other states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Uttarakhand. Bengali is also spoken by the significant global Bengali diaspora communities in Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Middle East.

Why Is There No Bengali On Duolingo?

Sadly the Bengali course is still not in the incubator! Together with Urdu, they’re the two most spoken languages but not added to Duolingo yet. In fact, there is no Bengali on Rosetta Stone either. I decided to look into this a bit more and find out some reasons for this situation. 

• Most Bengalis Are Well-Versed in English: For Bengalis, the practice of learning English is a colonial legacy. Apart from their mother language, they have been learning English since the British became successful in colonizing this land and its people.

• Bengali is Too Complex for Duolingo: I don’t think so, particularly for speakers of Indo-European languages. As a member of that language family, Bengali already has many similarities in terms of syntax and vocabulary. In terms of script, Duolingo already has Hindi, another language from the subcontinent which has a script other than Roman.

• Duolingo Doesn’t Have Enough Funds to Build Up Courses for All Languages: That’s probably why it’s taking Duolingo longer to develop the Bangla course. If they had money from more users paying for it, then they’d probably have more money to hire people to get the job done faster. However, there is a serious number of Bengali native speakers who are willing to teach, and Duolingo still doesn’t see it as a good idea to let them contribute.

Duolingo vs. Ling: Which One Supports Bengali?

The Best Alternative to Duolingo for Learning Bengali

Ling

The Ling app is the best and most recommended option to learn Bengali. The gamification of learning makes the whole process much more engaging. You can see yourself progress as you make your way through the different topics and tests that come along with it.

Then there is the Dialog feature that simulates conversations and makes for great practicing of your Bengali language skills. For an introvert like me, it helps to build up my courage to eventually feel confident enough to use it when out and about.

While these mobile apps do share a common goal of making language learning fun and accessible, what sets Ling apart is the focus on practical vocabulary, sentences, and phrases that you will use in everyday speech. 

Key Features of Ling

• Gamified lessons that keep you motivated and engaged
• Native speaker audio for accurate pronunciation
• Alphabet learning with finger-tracing for quick memorization
• Grammar Note feature that breaks down tricky concepts
• Culture Note feature for immersive, real-life context
• AI-chatbot for real-time, low-pressure conversations
• Advanced voice recognition to help you correct speaking mistakes instantly

What You’ll Achieve in Your First Week With Ling

Even with just a few minutes a day, most users begin noticing real progress by the end of Week 1. Here’s what your first seven days typically look like:

Day 1-2:

• Learn the Bengali alphabet basics through interactive finger tracing
• Master your first set of essential greetings
• Start recognizing native pronunciation

Day 3-4:

• Build simple sentences using practical everyday vocabulary
• Try your first AI-chatbot conversation
• Get instant feedback using voice recognition

Day 5-6:

• Understand basic grammar through short, clear Grammar Notes
• Explore your first Culture Note to understand how Bengali is spoken in real life
• Practice structured dialogs that simulate real conversations

Day 7:

• Complete your first unit test and see your progress
• Start confidently introducing yourself in Bengali
• Begin forming your own simple sentences without prompts

Why Serious Learners Choose Ling

Learners who want structure, accuracy, and real speaking progress consistently choose Ling over other apps. Let’s see what our users have to say about Ling:

What Real Users Say

⭐ 4.8/5 average rating across the App Store and Google Play.

“I tried multiple apps before, but Ling is the only one that helped me actually speak confidently. The chatbot and pronunciation tool are game changers.”

“The lessons are short but incredibly effective. I love how practical the vocabulary is, I’ve been able to use phrases with my Bengali friends within days.”

“As someone who gets easily overwhelmed, the structured path and bite-size grammar notes make learning feel simple and achievable.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Learning Bengali

What Are The Chances Of Bengali Appearing On Duolingo?

I have recently read in some forums that there is an English for Bengali speakers course in progress right now on Duolingo (reaching 75%). Hmmm…shouldn’t it be vice versa? The Duolingo team probably thinks that there are thousands of stuff for Bengali people to learn English on YouTube and almost nothing for English to Bengali.

Maybe it’s true. But Bengali speakers almost always have a way to learn English. However, this might be one of the very few chances for English speakers to learn Bengali. I mean, the English course for Bengali speakers will not be as popular or useful as the Bengali course for English speakers. Take a look at Hindi, for example. The number of English speakers eager for the Hindi course is a huge lot more than Hindi speakers learning English.

Duolingo will almost certainly do an English course for speakers of Bengali first. I assume they will do the reverse course after that. I would suppose that such a course would be a very high priority as Bengali is the most widely spoken language without an ESL course option on Duolingo.

I have applied to volunteer for the English Go Bengali course. They said that they weren’t getting qualified volunteers and that they’d work on it themselves. I hope they manage to finish it soon, and I heard the beta is going to be completed this May.

I’m just really waiting for the Bengali to English course, though. The lack of resources is abysmal, and I don’t think English will come in handy to people who live in cities. Maybe if Duolingo makes an initiative to reach Bangladeshi and West Bengal villages, then they’d come in handy. But of course, it’s all up to the Duolingo staff.

Start Learning Bengali with Ling (Free Trial Offer)

Now that you’ve learned why there is no Bengali on Duolingo, you might as well try an alternative app. As mentioned earlier, there are other resources that you can use to learn Bengali. But the best of all resources that you should take advantage of is Ling. With 200+ lessons consisting of speaking, reading, writing, and listening, you’ll ace your Bengali in no time.

Ready to begin your Bengali journey today? Download Ling now! Try it with a 7-Day Free Trial!

Ling is available both on the Play Store and the App Store. With over 1 million+ downloads worldwide and a strong 4.6/5 average rating on Google Play, Ling already helps thousands of learners master Bengali through fun, interactive, and effective lessons.

Don’t wait any longer and start learning Bengali with Ling today and see how far you can go in just a week!

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