Recommendations
I have developed this Recommendations page to save you time and to help you find other free online quality English learning materials, resources and apps. English language teachers and students I know have recommended and used the website links below. Remember, the links below are only our suggestions; everyone learns differently. I currently have no affiliations with any identified links on this page. If you know of any other free English learning links that you believe I should add to this page, feel free to send me an e-mail at dan@conversationalenglishwithdan.com
Please note that some links are not accessible in China.
This is a good learning site with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for the students.
This site has different learning levels for you. Although it offers paid courses, there are free materials you can learn from.
This is a definite go to U.K. site for both students and teachers to search the dictionary, grammar and translation. It has sound icons, so you can listen to the words you are searching for in both UK and North American English.
Collins Dictionary is a site that offers a free online dictionary, thesaurus and reference material. It allows you to search in English and seven other languages.
Merriam-Webster is America’s leading and trusted provider of English language information. Their main site includes their dictionary, thesaurus and has lots of other English learning materials.
(Accessible in China)
This is another site by Merriam-Webster’s where you can access their Learners ESL Dictionary.
(Accessible in China)
Mac Millan Dictionary is a site where you can find meanings, pronunciations, synonyms, collocations, idioms, images, videos and sound effects. You can browse BuzzWords or the crowd-sourced Open Dictionary. Improve your English with games, quizzes and other helpful resources.
(Accessible in China
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries is another good site for you to research English words and hear them played back in American or British English.
(Accessible in China)
Exam English is a free site for people who are studying for an English language exam. It contains online practice tests for ESL exams including IELTS and several other recognized testing systems.
Spotlight English is a site that has over 400 English podcasts. They use a unique method of broadcasting that makes it easier for listeners worldwide to understand. Spotlight English is also available on different podcast platforms.
ELSA is an App that claims to be the World’s Best English Pronunciation App, available on the Apple App Store or Google Play. It has over 7 million users in 101 countries. It uses proprietary artificial intelligence technology to give users instant feedback when they record their spoken English words in a lesson. They offer free accounts or premium paid accounts.
Woodward English is a New Zealand site offering free English courses, English Teacher Resources and English Articles. Most of their material is free but offers a paid members section.
Learn English Teens is another U.K. site by the British Council. This free website helps teens improve their English with reading, writing and listening practice, tips for exams, grammar and vocabulary exercises, games and videos. You can also interact with other teenagers from all around the world.
(Accessible in China)
BBC 6-Minute English is a BBC site for English learners. They have several 6-minute audio podcasts on different subjects. You get to listen to different UK voice actors speaking, learn new vocabulary and can read along with a transcript.
This site is suitable for anyone preparing for the IELTS exam. Although it has a store and offers paid courses, you will find an incredible amount of free learning materials to practice with.
YouGlish is an English language website by YouTube for mastering English pronunciation. Just type in the word you wish to research, and in seconds, you have access to hundreds of videos where speakers use the identified word in their conversation.
Ted Talk has many videos in English. One young woman I met from Vietnam would listen to these video’s every evening to learn better English. She was self-taught and spoke good English.
Tubi is a free, premium, on demand video streaming app. They have an extensive content library with over 20,000 movies and television shows. You can access Tubi through the internet on a laptop or tablet or by selecting the Tubi app below. They require registering an account, but the service is free. Tubi allows you to turn on subtitles when viewing a show, which many learners like.
7ESL is a site designed to help English as a second language teachers and students worldwide. The site was started in 2017 by a team of English teachers, language experts and writers from different countries. You will find many free English learning materials on this site that will assist you. They also now have a 7ESL app.
English Club is a U.K. site with many free English language learning materials to assist you.
(Accessible in China)
ESL Fast is an American site with many free online learning resources. They have thousands of recorded audio lessons for English learners of all levels.
(Accessible in China)
ESL: English as a Second Language is another American site associated with ESLFast.com where you will find more free online learning resources.
(Accessible in China)
ESL Lounge is a U.K. site offering free English language learning materials to ESL teachers and students.
(Accessible in China)
Dave’s ESL Café is an American site for ESL teachers and students. The Resources page contains grammar lessons, idioms, lesson plans, phrasal verbs, slang, and quizzes.
(Accessible in China)
ELLLO (English Listening Lesson Library Online) is a site created by an American English teacher who works as an ESL teacher in Japan. This site offers you over 3,000 free listening activities in audio and video files. Teachers and students can access lessons for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners. ELLLO offers an Android App for mobile users and you can also listen to their ELLLO podcasts from the different podcast platforms.
(Accessible in China)
Vietnamese Dictionary & Translator: Dict Box – This Vietnamese App is recommended by some of my Vietnamese English teacher colleagues who use it regularly to check English words. The App can be downloaded for Android or iPhones.
TED-IELTS is a U.K. site that provides an honest and valuable route to your IELTS success. The founder, David Wills has been teaching IELTS since 2010. The site has some free IELTS tips and resources. This site also offers speaking partners who are other language learners.
IELTS Buddy is a UK site where you can find tips and tests for your IELTS success. The site has lots of free learning materials. There is also an area where you can try to find another English language learner for a speaking partner.
This site from Germany has many English learning materials for ESL teachers and students. All materials are in English.
This is not a typical English dictionary, but one that gives definitions of English slang words and slang terms that younger people use. One of my students from Vietnam went to Canada for college and used this dictionary to learn new vocabulary that her classmates were speaking.
Cambridge University Press is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious publishers, operating under the University of Cambridge. With a mission to spread knowledge, Cambridge offers high-quality books, learning materials, and language tools. Among its highlights is the Cambridge Dictionary, a trusted resource for vocabulary, grammar, and accurate British and American English pronunciation.
