Speak your native language with pride! Live 1-on-1 lessons for adults and kids (ages 5+), plus an app full of games, drills and challenges to practise between classes.
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From $10.50 per lesson. Love it, or your next lesson's free.
TrustScore 4.9 | 200+ reviews
18,300+ learners in the UK, US and Canada
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Between lessons, the Lingawa app keeps you practising with games for adults and kids. Pick one and have a go, right here.
Tap a Yoruba word, then its English meaning.
Lingawa isn’t only lessons. Every learner gets the Lingawa app as a companion to their live lessons, so practice carries on between classes.
Call an available tutor straight from the app for a quick conversation between lessons.
Listen, choose, type and flip through each topic’s words, voiced by native speakers.
Play a character in a real conversation, record your lines and compare them with a native speaker.
Quick games that lock in new words, then put them together into sentences.
Illustrated stories with fill-in-the-word pages, printable worksheets and mini games for young learners.
Keep a daily streak, earn cowries, climb the monthly leaderboard and watch your progress grow.
You can also see and reschedule your lessons, join them and message your tutor, all from the app.
For beginners, heritage speakers and kids. Greetings, family, tones and everyday conversation with a native Yoruba tutor.
Explore Yoruba lessons →
For beginners, heritage speakers and kids. Learn with a native Igbo tutor matched to your family’s dialect.
Explore Igbo lessons →
Every tutor is a native speaker. We match you by language, dialect, goals and schedule.
Extending culture to the next generation. Kids get patient tutors who are experienced with young learners, and the same practice games to play between lessons.
“My son’s tutor is Queeneth. She’s wonderful and very experienced in teaching young kids. I don’t know how she remains calm, cheerful and encouraging when my 6yo starts getting distracted.”
Our community speaks for itself. Literally! Our expert, native-speaking tutors have helped countless learners master languages while immersing them in vibrant cultures.
Start your lessons in 3 simple steps. Select a lesson, book a time according to your schedule and start learning!
Choose the language that speaks to your heart (and maybe your heritage)!
Our tutor-matching process will connect you with the perfect expert for your learning style.
Book your lessons and start your language-learning adventure!
You’re matched with a native-speaking tutor for live 1-on-1 lessons online. Between classes you practise in the Lingawa app with games like a matching game, sentence builder and dialogue practice.
Yes. Every Lingawa learner gets the Lingawa app as a companion to their live lessons. It’s where you practise between classes, keep your streak going, see and reschedule lessons, and message your tutor.
Vocab drills and flashcards voiced by native speakers, matching games, a sentence builder and, for adults, dialogue practice where you record your lines and compare them with a native speaker. Kids also get illustrated storybooks, mini games and fun videos. Streaks, cowries and a monthly leaderboard keep you motivated.
The Practice Hotline lets adult learners call an available tutor from the Lingawa app for a quick conversation between lessons, on a topic from their level or anything they like. Calls last up to 10 minutes at a time and use hotline credits. The hotline is open every day from 8am to 2am Nigeria time (WAT), for Yoruba and Central Igbo.
Standard lessons are 55 minutes. You can also book 25-minute sessions, and lessons for children under 7 are 25 minutes.
Learners start speaking from their very first lesson, and most can hold a comfortable conversation within 6 months to a year. Progress depends on how often you take lessons and practise. We recommend 1–2 lessons a week.
Yes. Lessons suit learners from age 5, and our tutors are experienced with young children. Every lesson is 1-on-1, and kids under 7 have shorter 25-minute sessions.
Tell us the dialect you or your family speak and we’ll match you with a tutor who speaks it.
Lessons start from £7 / $10.50 per lesson on our bundles, or £10 / $15 per lesson monthly. See the pricing page for every plan. If you don’t love your lesson, your next one is free.
Yes. You book lessons at times that suit you, and you can reschedule from your dashboard up to 24 hours before a lesson.
No. Lessons suit all levels, from complete beginners to heritage speakers who understand but want to speak with confidence.
Just let our support team know. Tutor replacements are free, so you can keep going until you find the right match.
Lingawa is an online language school teaching Yoruba and Igbo to Nigerians and families in the diaspora, mainly in the UK, US and Canada. It was founded by Frank Williams, Yvonne Williams and Uche Azinge, and is based in New York.
Lingawa has been part of Google for Startups Black Founders and the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, and has more than 18,300 learners.
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