This post lists the AI tools, apps, websites, and resources that are genuinely useful for English learners. It is a chapter from my book "How to Use AI Tools to Learn English"
I grouped tools by category so you can jump to what you need: conversation & chatbots, writing & grammar, translation & reading, listening & pronunciation, vocabulary & flashcards, study workflow & note tools, and extras.
A. Conversation & Chatbots — practise speaking, get explanations, roleplay
1) ChatGPT — chatgpt.com
What it does: a powerful conversational AI that answers questions, explains, roleplays, and corrects your sentences. Great for speaking practice, grammar explanations, writing drafts, and personalised lessons.
How to use: tell it your level, ask for roleplay (shopkeeper/customer), paste your writing for correction, ask for daily 10-minute routines.
Tips: start each session with “I’m a beginner — please use very simple English.” Ask for examples and short exercises.
Limitations: may sometimes produce inaccurate facts or overconfident answers; do not treat it as an exam grader or medical/legal authority. Use it to practise language, not to replace human teachers.
2) Google Gemini — gemini.google.com
What it does: conversational AI alternatives to ChatGPT. Useful for quick explanations, idea generation, and summarising articles.
How to use: compare answers from ChatGPT and Gemini — sometimes one explains better for your level.
Tips: ask for step-by-step instructions and simple examples.
Limitations: features and availability change quickly; check the site for the latest access method.
3) Bing Chat / Microsoft copilot copilot.microsoft.com/
What it does: chat-based assistant integrated with web search (helpful to get current examples).
How to use: practise conversations, ask for news-aware sample dialogues, or request recent examples.
Limitations: internet-connected answers can change; be careful with factual claims.
B. Writing, Grammar & Tone — correct writing, improve style
4) Grammarly (→ Superhuman) — grammarly.com
What it does: real-time grammar, spelling, style, and tone suggestions (browser extension and web editor). Free version gives basic corrections; paid adds advanced clarity suggestions and plagiarism check.
How to use: paste emails, essays, or messages for instant fixes; use the “explain” feature to learn why a change was suggested.
Tips: enable the browser extension so it helps while you type emails or messages. Turn on feedback explanations and read them, don’t accept blindly.
Limitations: it suggests edits and “better” phrasing that may be too formal or change your voice — always review. Note: the company’s product names and packaging evolve, so check the site for current plans and features.
5) LanguageTool — languagetool.org
What it does: grammar and style checker with good multi-language support (free tier available).
How to use: use it as a second opinion to Grammarly, especially for British/Indian English variants.
Tips: configure language settings (British vs American English) to get appropriate suggestions.
Limitations: not as “glossy” as some paid tools, but solid and privacy-friendly.
6) Hemingway Editor — hemingwayapp.com
What it does: readability checker that highlights long sentences, passive voice, and hard phrases.
How to use: paste your paragraph and aim to simplify sentences highlighted as difficult.
Tips: use it to produce clear, short sentences (excellent for beginners writing emails or simple essays).
Limitations: it focuses on style (clarity) and not grammar details.
7) QuillBot — quillbot.com
What it does: paraphrasing and rephrasing tool. Useful to learn alternate sentence structures.
How to use: paste your sentence and compare several rewrites to learn natural phrasing.
Tips: use the “fluency” or “simple” mode for beginner-friendly rewrites.
Limitations: don’t use it to copy long passages verbatim — use rewrites as learning examples.
C. Translation, Reading & Comprehension
8) Google Translate — translate.google.com
What it does: instant translations and audio pronunciation. Great for quick meanings and listening to single words or short sentences.
How to use: paste a sentence, click the speaker icon to hear pronunciation, and compare with AI-simplified English versions.
Tips: use it to check short phrases and to hear native pronunciation for single words.
Limitations: can mistranslate idioms or complex sentences; always ask an AI (ChatGPT) to confirm nuance for longer texts.
9) DeepL — deepl.com
What it does: high-quality translations with better naturalness for many language pairs (desktop and document translation). Excellent for translating whole paragraphs and maintaining tone.
How to use: translate tricky paragraphs, then ask ChatGPT to simplify or explain the translation in simple English.
Tips: DeepL’s document translation is handy for PDFs and Word docs — use it for reading academic or work files.
Limitations: best used together with AI explanation — translations can be literal in some edge cases.
10) Reverso Context — reverso.net
What it does: shows real example sentences from real contexts for words and phrases. Great for seeing how words are actually used.
How to use: search a phrase and study the example sentences; copy examples to use in your own practice.
11) Readwise & Readwise Reader — readwise.io
What it does: centralises highlights from articles, books, and PDFs and helps you review them with spaced repetition.
How to use: save vocabulary and highlighted sentences from your reading; Readwise will help you review repeatedly.
Tips: pair with Anki or export to notes for practice.
Limitations: some advanced features are paid. (Useful for long-term retention.)
12) YouTube — youtube.com
What it does: enormous free source of authentic listening content: lessons, interviews, TEDx talks, and pronunciation channels.
How to use: watch beginner channels, use playback speed (0.75× or 0.5×), turn on English subtitles, copy transcript for study, and ask ChatGPT to summarise or create exercises from the transcript.
Tips: use official channels for learners (VOA Learning English, BBC Learning English) and enable transcript → copy → paste to ChatGPT for personalised exercises.
Limitations: video quality varies; auto-captions are imperfect — always check the transcript.
D. Listening & Pronunciation Tools
13) ELSA Speak — elsaspeak.com
What it does: AI pronunciation coach that evaluates sounds and gives targeted drills. Useful for practicing individual sounds and word stress.
How to use: do short daily drills, focus on problematic phonemes, and repeat until your score improves.
Tips: use it for focused 5–10 minute sessions on specific sound pairs (r/l, v/w, th).
Limitations: free tier is useful but many advanced features require subscription.
14) YouGlish — youglish.com
What it does: search real YouTube examples of how a word/phrase is pronounced in natural speech from real videos.
How to use: type a word and listen to multiple native speakers using it in real sentences. Great for seeing variations (US/UK/Australia).
Tips: use it to learn stress patterns and natural collocations.
Limitations: depends on YouTube clips; not an automated correction tool.
15) Whisper (OpenAI) — openai.com/research/whisper
What it does: high-quality speech-to-text (ASR). Use it to transcribe your spoken English and check what the AI heard — a simple way to spot pronunciation issues.
How to use: record yourself, run it through Whisper (or apps that use Whisper), compare the transcript with what you intended to say.
Tips: when transcript misses words, work on those specific sounds/words.
Limitations: Whisper itself is a model; using it usually requires an app/interface unless you run the model locally.
16) ElevenLabs (TTS) — elevenlabs.io
What it does: natural text-to-speech (TTS) — create realistic audio for shadowing and listening practice.
How to use: paste paragraphs, choose a voice, and use the audio for shadowing practice (repeat after the speaker).
Tips: slow the audio initially; then increase speed to normal.
Limitations: the best voices are usually in paid tiers — but the free tier is useful for short practice.
E. Vocabulary & Spaced Repetition
17) Anki — apps.ankiweb.net / ankiweb.net
What it does: powerful (free) spaced-repetition flashcard system. Great for remembering vocabulary long term.
How to use: create flashcards with word + simple definition + example sentence (or image). Use Anki daily; the spaced repetition algorithm schedules reviews intelligently.
Tips: include context sentences and audio; add cloze deletion cards for collocations.
Limitations: the interface can feel technical at first; there’s a learning curve.
18) Quizlet — quizlet.com
What it does: flashcards + games + tests. Easier UI than Anki; great for quick sets and classroom use.
How to use: search public sets for common exam topics; use the “learn” mode and test modes.
F. Study Workflow, Notes & Document Tools
19) NotebookLM / Google Notebook (experimental) — notebooklm.google.com
What it does: (Google’s NotebookLM / similar tools) create an interactive note assistant that summarises documents and answers questions about your notes. Great for turning reading into study material.
How to use: upload a PDF or notes and ask the notebook to summarise, create flashcards, or produce study questions.
Tips: use it to prepare summaries for each chapter you read.
Limitations: availability may be gated by region; check Google’s product page for access.
20) Readwise Reader — readwise.io
What it does: centralises highlights and generates daily review emails; connects with Kindle, Pocket, and more. Excellent for consolidating vocabulary and sentences you want to remember.
21) n8n / Zapier — n8n.io / zapier.com
What it does: automation platforms — useful for building simple automations such as saving ChatGPT answers to a Google Doc or sending daily vocabulary to your email.
How to use: set up a workflow: e.g., every night, collect today’s ChatGPT-corrected sentences → save to a Notion page or Google Sheet.
Tips: useful if you want to automate review routines without manual copying.
Limitations: requires basic setup time; some connectors may be paid.
G. Exam & Test-Focused Tools
22) IELTS/TOEFL/OET resources powered by AI
What they do: many exam-prep sites now integrate AI to generate practice prompts, evaluate speaking, and produce essay feedback. Use ChatGPT for custom exam prompts and ask for band-descriptor style feedback (use with caution).
How to use: simulate exam parts, time yourself, then ask AI for structured feedback and improvement steps.
Tips: practice with timed mocks; use AI to identify weak patterns and then target them.
Limitations: AI feedback ≠ official band scores; use official practice materials for final validation.
H. Accessibility, TTS and Listening Helpers
23) Speechify / NaturalReader — speechify.com / naturalreaders.com
What they do: convert text into natural audio so you can listen to articles, emails, or books while moving. Great for multitasking practice.
How to use: paste the text you want to remember and listen while commuting or exercising.
Tips: use for shadowing and comprehension checks.
Limitations: best voices may be paid; free voices are still useful.
I. Extras — fun, specialized, and classroom-friendly tools
24) Storybird / Talk to Transformer style creative tools
What they do: creative writing prompts and story generators that make writing practice fun. Use AI to generate a story starter, then finish it yourself.
How to use: ask the AI to give a simple prompt and vocabulary to use, then write and request corrections.
25) VOA Learning English / BBC Learning English — learningenglish.voanews.com / bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
What they do: graded news and lessons for learners with clear, slow speech and transcripts. Combine these with AI for exercises (summaries, comprehension questions).How to use: listen with transcript, then ask ChatGPT for a short quiz on the article.
Tips: excellent for daily listening with real news simplified for learners.
If you are interested in learning AI, check the AI Course at rajamanickam.com
Contact rajamanickam.a@gmail.com to learn AI from one-on-one coaching for affordable charges.
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