WordDive Review - Best Way to Learn a New Language?
WordDive is a language learning application that promises its users to learn a new language just in three months. The promise is bold. Get familiar with our WordDive experiences!
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WordDive - A Tool for Fast Language Learning
WordDive is a language learning application that promises a user to learn a new language just in three months by studying in 45-minute periods. Since Worddive is a mobile application, studying can take place almost anywhere. The promise of fast learning is bold and attractive. For this reason, we decided to review this application in detail. Even though WordDive is a paid application, the first course can be tested free of charge. You do not even need to provide payment information so there are no risks of accidental charges. For us, WordDive gave a broad test license to gather information and authentic experiences for this article.
We can't call WordDive's marketing department modest because they promise results in so a short time. Accordingly, a learner can adopt a new language within 3 months. Fast learning with WordDive is based on an award-winning method in which several senses are used simultaneously. The pace of the learning is also tailored independently for every user. WordDive promises fluent language skills, which is the goal of many learners. Worddive can also be used to achieve everyday language skills if a student's target level is lower.
WordDive currently offers 10 different languages possible to study: American or British English, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Swedish, Japanese, Estonian, Russian and Italian. You can choose the language of the application's user interface from four different options. Furthermore, the language of instructions can be selected from almost 20 options. The instruction language means to which language phrases and words have been translated.
Application
WordDive application can be used on any Android or iPhone device. The mobile app can be installed free from the app stores. WordDive has also a web-based learning platform for users with a computer. An Internet connection is required as the application does not work offline. According to our tests, the mobile application won't even start without an internet connection.
We tested the WordDive application mainly on an Android phone. This way, we were not bound to any physical location. It may still be a good choice to use WordDive on a computer where there is a complete keyboard.
How is Studying with WordDive Works?
At the beginning of starting learning a new language, the user must choose a learning goal. This is influenced by the pre-knowledge of the language and for which purposes the student will use the language later. A traveller's language differs from a business language. The user needs to set an honest goal. Fortunately, WordDive has made this easy, as the application asks the user/language learner a few questions to suggest a suitable goal. The chosen goal can be modified later by the user.
Courses
Studying has been divided into short courses that are built around themes. One course can be passed fairly quickly, which makes learning more motivating. The student will experience measurable progress in days so there is no need to wait months to complete the first course and get feedback.
Learning Dictionary and Phrases
The learning is based on studying words and phrases. The application displays an image related to the current topic with its translation to the student's instruction language. The student needs to choose the right translation to the studied language from a few options. As teaching progresses, the user needs to type the whole word himself instead of selecting an answer from pre-written options. After the learner has provided an answer, the application reads a phrase associated with the word aloud. The user may also be asked to add missing words into the phrases in the correct form. In this way, the vocabulary is practised in a situational manner, where grammar skills can also be applied.
WordDive's algorithm repeats the same words and phrases as long as the student has learned the studied words permanently. In this way, the vocabulary increases continuously. In a few weeks, the student can learn a few hundred words. By repeating words again and again, also the phrases and their pronunciation will stay in the mind. According to WordDive's marketing material, using multiple senses makes learning more efficient.
According to WordDive, American English courses contain 6,530 things to be learned.
Grammar
The application does not teach all grammar rules. For that, WordDive has a free grammar website called WordDive Grammar. It is up to the user's motivation, and how much he wants to spend time self-learning grammar on these pages. However, the application gives tips and explanations for some grammar issues during the learning process.
WordDive believes that the user will learn to talk in a foreign language without knowing all the grammar details. This approach is suitable for people who are learning a new language to make travelling easier. It is still good to self-learn the basics of grammar.
Speaking and Listening Exercises
WordDive's English courses include also speaking and listening exercises. So far, we have tested WordDive's Swedish, German, Spanish and Estonian courses and they do not have similar exercises.
Experiences with WordDive
We tried WordDive's mobile application on an Android phone and also the web version on a Chrome browser. Both are of the same quality so we decided to concentrate on the mobile app in this review.
Android Application
During our evaluation, the Android version worked without any technical issues. The user interface is clear and the colour theme is fresh. We like the functionality of the application and so far, in our opinion, it does not require any obvious improvements. When the application has been installed on a phone, it reminds you to study every day, which promotes achieving results faster.
Technical Quality
The application worked smoothly right from the beginning. The technical quality is superb.
Start of Studies
After the application has been installed onto a mobile device, the student must create a WordDive account or simply use Facebook authentication. For a WordDive account, only a name, password and email address are required.
When the student has finished creating an account, it is time to choose the first language to study. WordDive will evaluate students' initial level with a few simple questions. After which, the application is ready to accompany learning the new language. A good thing is that it is possible to try the first course without giving any payment details.
The succeeding courses after availing of a free trial for your first course can be tested also free of charge for 7 days but this time, payment details are required. After the 7-day additional trial period, the payment account will be charged automatically. However, if the user cancels the subscription within the 7-day trial, no charges will be made.
The student can manage all his subscriptions on WordDive's website.
Easiness of Learning
WordDive's learning method is pleasant. He just needs to fill in missing words or phrases. The application's beautiful visual appearance makes learning even nicer. By repeating the same exercises again and again, students' vocabulary gets more comprehensive. Unfortunately, the application does not teach detailed grammar rules but the student needs to get familiar with them on the WordDive grammar website or by using an external source.
It is still possible to exercise learned grammar skills with the WordDive application. For example, in Swedish courses, there are exercises where the student needs to fill in missing words in the right form. This is a handy exercise type after you already learned the basics of grammar.
Level of Learning
We can't evaluate accurately which skill level a student can reach with WordDive. We have not used the application ourselves long enough to make these conclusions. So far, we have learned new vocabulary easily.
According to WordDive's public feedback, a few conclusions can be made. The application has a grade of 4.4 points on Android's Playstore. That is well done for any application. Also on WordDive's website, the company introduces awards that they and the application have received. It is quite clear that the application works and students are getting results.
Good Aspects of the Application
- WordDive is a suitable solution for travellers who do not target mastering language skills in detail but a moderate level is enough.
- Almost all phrases are spoken and written in the WordDive application which makes it easier to learn the words' proper pronunciation.
Things to Be Improved
- WordDive concentrates on learning vocabulary, phrases and pronunciation. We wish WordDive taught also grammar rules in a more detailed way. However, the amount of grammar exercises in the application has been increasing.
- We suggest WordDive be gamified further because people love to play games.
Prices of WordDive's Subscriptions
WordDive has a subscription-based pricing model so the application is free to download. At the time of writing this article in Finland, a continuous subscription to WordDive costs 9,99 euros/month for every language a student wants to learn. By purchasing a fixed 1-year term, the total costs will become cheaper than having a monthly subscription.
WordDive Competitors
WordDive has a few competitors: for example Duolingo and Babbel. Duolingo claims to be free but also it has paid features. Babbel is a paid service. We do not know these applications well but we recommend our readers compare them too before making a purchase decision.
The high quality is an advantage of WordDive.
Common Questions
- What is WordDive?
- WordDive is an application for practically learning languages and pronunciation.
- Where does WordDive come from?
- The application is being developed in Tampere, Finland.
- How much does WordDive cost?
- At the time of writing this article in Finland, WordDive costs 9,99 euros/per month/language.
- Are you able to learn also grammar rules with WordDive?
- WordDive does teach much about grammar and it offers a static website to self-learn grammar. Of course, you can practise grammar rules also with the application.
- Do you learn proper pronunciation with WordDive?
- Yes, you will learn by repeating aloud the words and phrases after WordDive has read them for you.
- Does WordDive have a free trial period?
- Yes. After registration, you can try the first course free of charge immediately without the need to provide payment card details. All other courses can be tried free of charge for 7 days by giving payment details.
Bottom Line
According to our experiences, WordDive is a nice-looking and well-working application to improve language skills or learn a new language. For example, a traveller learns fast everyday basic words and phrases of his target language. The student must have the motivation to study grammar rules himself but WordDive has supplementary material to help with this. It might be beneficial to combine learning on WordDrive with another learning method. Together they will lead to good language skills. Paying only 10 euros per month to learn a language with WordDrive is an affordable price. In contrast, enrollment in traditional language courses is much more expensive and poses flexibility issues when it comes to learning schedules.
Installing the software is very simple and a language learner can try it free of charge even without giving payment details for the first course. We recommend trying the application yourself to find out if you like it.
Have you tried WordDive? Comment on your learning experience below!
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