DUOL - Duolingo Helps Users Learn Languages. But It Just Made Its 2nd Acquisition in 2 Years for Businesses Which Do Something Else
2024-07-21 06:45:00 ET
Language-learning app Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL) had nearly 100 million monthly active users as of the first quarter of 2024. And as a person with a background in linguistics, I believe this statistic is more impressive than most people realize.
Anecdotally, I've found it incredibly difficult to keep language learners motivated. Think about it: Almost everyone can express themselves well in their primary language and somehow "just know" all of the grammatical rules. Suddenly, they're exposed to something entirely different where the sounds are foreign, the words are unknown, and the rules don't make sense. They try hard but keep making mistakes, leading to embarrassment. Eventually, it's just easier to settle for good enough instead of pushing through toward greater proficiency.
Duolingo hangs on to users despite the intrinsic pressures that demotivate language learners. And it does this with "gamification." Duolingo's platform uses game elements to make the difficult process of language learning fun. In other words, users keep logging back in because it feels like a game.
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Duolingo Helps Users Learn Languages. But It Just Made Its 2nd Acquisition in 2 Years for Businesses Which Do Something Else