The Rocket Languages Blog

Konnichiwa, language lovers! 👋 Did you know the Japanese language has been shaped by prehistoric tribes, samurai warriors, Buddhist monks, and even Portuguese bread? (Yes, bread!) In this blog post, and in our companion YouTube video , we’re packin...

Bonjour tout le monde! Hello everyone! Get ready to supercharge your language learning! We're thrilled to announce a brand-new feature that lets you "favorite" words and phrases. Simply click the heart icon , and presto! That word or phrase is saved ...

Hey everyone!   We’re SO excited to introduce our brand-new YouTube series: Epic Language Origins — a deep dive into how the world’s most spoken languages came to be.   🎬 Episode 1 is live now!  📜 How The Spanish Language Was Born: A 2,000-Ye...

Hey Rocket learners! 🎉 We’re excited to announce we’re now active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, and LinkedIn—and we’re bringing the same smart, structured language learning you love into your daily scroll! Follow us for: 💡 Language tips &am...

Bonjour tout le monde ! Hi everyone! We've been busy behind the scenes, cooking up some exciting course improvements! Now, it's your turn to join the recipe! We've crafted a quick survey, and your insights are the secret ingredient we need. Let's make t...

Bonjour tout le monde ! Hi everyone! Fantastic news! As part of our drive to stay the gold standard of language courses, earlier today we released a new desktop version of Rocket Languages. For us, being the gold standard means that we are constantly...

Bonjour tout le monde ! We are all very excited and proud to announce the launch of the 2022 Edition of Rocket Languages. This Edition represents a lot of hard work from the whole team, with more than a few late nights, plenty of caffeine and several...

Bonjour tout le monde ! Hello everyone! I hope the start of 2022 has treated you all well. Some exciting news from the team at Rocket Languages... Within the next couple of weeks, we will release our 2022 Edition, and of course, if you are a current...

Maybe you've been studying German for years, but now need to know Spanish for an upcoming business trip to Mexico. Perhaps you're a college student studying French, but an interesting Arabic class has caught your eye. Or maybe you're just impatient and w...

We all want to communicate well, no matter what the language, and writing is an integral part of this. Naturally, writing in our native language feels easier and less awkward compared to writing in our foreign language. This becomes pretty obvious the...

  What do you think of when you hear the words “Native American”?  There isn’t a singular Native American identity — the US alone has 574 federally recognized tribes , as well as hundreds more unrecognized ones, each with their own history, culture, ...

Before starting to learn a new language, one of the first questions on everyone's mind is which language is the best to learn. By "best" language, they're usually referring to the most practical language , and by "most practical" language, they're talki...

A while ago, we looked at how many languages there are in the world today. While many of the world's endangered languages have increasingly fewer speakers, the world's largest languages continue to grow. So what are some of the world's most spoken langu...

While English is the most widely used language for business, academia and tourism, speaking only English can be a major disadvantage in today's competitive and globalized job market. What does this mean for the job-seeking English speaker? Well, not on...

Let's face it: learning a foreign language isn't easy! From vocabulary to pronunciation, language learning can be frustrating. Luckily for you, we break down the easiest languages to learn! There are some languages that are believed to be easier for Eng...

Summer is just around the corner. All those spring flowers and warm, sunny days will soon transform into a very romantic season. Think of a cozy picnic in the park, a relaxing day at the beach, or a trip to a romantic destination. Summer is the perfect ...

There are thousands of untranslatable words. Today we're going to take a look at 20 of the most magical ones, each from a different foreign language. None have a direct translation in English. These beautiful foreign words provide a fascinating glimpse ...

You shoot your friend a thumbs-up to let her know she did a great job. You hold up two fingers at a noisy bar to signal to the bartender how many drinks to bring. You clap at the end of performances to show your appreciation, you raise your hand when you...

Perhaps you’re dreaming of backpacking through South America. Or maybe you’re hoping to do business in Beijing. Perhaps you’re planning to study spirituality in India or have your eye on becoming an interpreter. Whatever your goal, there’s a language ...

Post by guest blogger Jamie McGhee: Jamie McGhee is a novelist, playwright and aspiring polyglot. With 6,500 languages in the world, life is way too short to speak just one. Or two. Or three.   Whether you need to pick up basic Mandarin for a...

Discover the 6 Hardest Languages to Learn in the World What is the hardest language to learn? And what makes it so hard? Is it hard because of irregular verbs, or because its spelling has nothing to do with pronunciation? Is it hard because of throaty con...

Hi there, We have exciting news! We have just released our brand-spanking-new 2021 Edition on desktop/browser.   This edition is the result of a year-long project that involved updating our courses' user interface, functionality, and code base – all ...

Even though language exists in order to facilitate communication, learning a language can feel a bit lonely sometimes.   But when you’re struggling to motivate yourself over a plateau, or when you’re cramming vocabulary alone in your room for the thir...

The best way to learn a language online: A step-by-step guide Set your own goals Take stock of your resources Get creative with your learning Keep track of what works Be consistent Unless you grew up bilingual, your earliest memory...

Love is in the air, and your vocabulary flashcards are in your pocket. Maybe you have a crush on the cute newcomer in your German language exchange. Maybe you’re looking for a sweet way to show your partner how much you care. Or maybe your true love is R...

Bonjour tout le monde (Hello everyone) I hope that you are all safe and well in these unprecedented times.  If you have been in lock-down then I hope you have taken advantage of the opportunity to hone your language skills! New desktop members a...

“What is your language proficiency level?” It’s easy to freeze when someone asks you this question. Maybe you’ve been learning German or Japanese for ages, but you’re not quite sure how good you are. Or maybe you grew up speaking Polish as a second lang...

There’s something wonderfully challenging and wickedly fun about learning a rare language--about wading through vocabularies and grammars spoken by just a few thousand people (like Kujarge, 1,000), or a few hundred (like Satawalese, 460) or even just a f...

Spanish is easy; Russian is hard. Mandarin is a headache, and French is supposedly a breeze. At least, that’s what you’ve probably heard before. If you tell someone you’re learning Italian, you might not receive the same impressed reaction as if you casu...

Dialect vs Accent: What's the difference? French accents are romantic. German accents are harsh. Irish accents are musical. When you hear the word “accent,” you might think about the way that non-native speakers sound - but accents are so much more comp...

Hi All, I hope that 2020 is going to be a big year for you, particularly with respect to your language learning! Recent changes: As we are already finished with January, I thought I would update you all on some recent changes to the Members’ Area an...

You take the train to work every day. You go on long drives to visit relatives. You walk your dog. You hike. Why not multitask?  One thing that you can do to improve your language learning is to listen to podcasts about - well, you guessed it - learni...

Sure, you could thumb through an old textbook - or you could binge your favorite Netflix show with interactive subtitles. You could struggle to stay awake in a classroom full of students, or you could receive direct tutoring from teachers around the...

In our last blog post, we started looking at how to use music to master a new language. Specifically, we answered two questions: Which types of songs should you choose when studying a language? And where can you find them? Now that you’ve filled some ...

Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head? Without meaning to, you’ve memorized one or two lines that just play, and play, and play on repeat, refusing to leave you alone. If only your vocabulary list would get stuck too! Why can you remember the...

I landed in Berlin with two things: a year’s worth of German and a whole lot of arrogance. I proudly held my own during the cab ride to my sublease, and I chatted jovially with my new roommate while she explained the twelve-tiered recycling system. S...

You just saw Anastasia and are dying to learn Russian. You desperately want to read In Search of Lost Time in its native French. A friend invited you to Kyoto and you plan to pick up some Japanese before you go. Whatever your reason for learning a ne...

Learning a language is like setting out on an adventure. You will face ups and downs, you will weather unexpected twists and turns, and at the end of the day you’ll be so glad that you did it. Everyone’s language-learning adventure is a little differe...

Index cards. Memory palaces. Pneumonic devices. Face it: You’re tired of learning vocabulary the traditional way. If you have to see another flash card or word list, you might even scream. Let’s look at how to improve your vocabulary  with 6 methods ...

What is a polyglot? Have you ever dreamed about speaking two languages? What about four? What about six? It’s not impossible. In fact, there’s a word for it - polyglot. A polyglot is a person who speaks multiple languages.  "Polyglot" originates...

The world is global, interconnected, and rapidly changing. Knowing more than one language is the way to get ahead. Maybe you’re starting an online company and want to reach out to investors across the world. Maybe you’re a new hire tasked with an intern...

Learning a new language can feel daunting. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find a thicker textbook, a faster course, or a more comprehensive set of flashcards. How on earth are you supposed to keep up if you get overwhelmed before you even begin? But if y...

Some people pick up foreign vocabulary words from songs, while others need to draw diagrams in order to remember grammar concepts. Everyone has a different learning style! In fact, there are four major types of learners— visual, auditory, linguistic and...

Life gets busy, and your new language-learning app falls to the wayside.   You hit a language-learning plateau , and no matter what you do, you can’t move forward in Russian .   You accomplish your biggest Spanish learning goal and can’t ...

You’re dating a man who speaks Turkish, but you’d like to visit your best friend in Malta. T-Pop has inspired you to learn Thai, but you’ve always wanted to speak enough Navajo to understand your grandmother’s stories. You plan to master Japanese before ...

Bonjour tout le monde ! As part of our philosophy to provide the most effective language courses that we can, we are always looking at different elements of the learning experience and trying to improve them. A lot of the time these are relatively smal...

You’ve always dreamed of mastering the delicate curves of Arabic calligraphy. You visited Ethiopia and gazed wistfully at the sprawling Amharic. You stumbled across Elfdalian in Minecraft and now you’re ready to carve out letters like you’re in Lord of ...

Textbooks. Lectures. Homework. What if you could just throw it all away? What if you could pick up a PlayStation controller instead—and your grammar would actually get better? It sounds crazy, but it’s true. Give it a try with our top tips for lear...

When it comes to languages, babies are so talented that it’s not even fair. They seem to just absorb whatever is being spoken around them—without flash cards, memory palaces or even spaced repetition! Not to mention that their accents are flawless. Sur...

Ping! Two new likes. Beep! Cuatro nuevos commentarios . Tweet! Achthundert neue Tweets.   If you’re anything like me, you stay plugged into social media no matter where you go, tweeting and liking, uploading and swiping. Your thumbs are permanent...