15 Best Websites to Learn French

Falling in love with the French language is nothing new. Many people have been learning French because it is widely spoken, easy to learn, and pleasing to the ear. We have curated for you some good websites to learn French and wish you well on your exciting journey.

Best French Learning Websites in 2024

So many websites claim they can teach you fluent French but fail to make good on that promise. That is why I have carefully gone through these French language learning websites and picked the best websites for French learning.

Free French Learning Websites

Free websites to learn French may not always be reliable. Fortunately, the ones I found are good enough for you to have a strong grasp of the language’s fundamentals. However, you cannot expect them to make you an advanced learner. The best these websites can do is make you intermediate learners.

What is the best free website to learn French? Of course, it is Duolingo. Most people agree that teaching French is one of Duolingo’s specialties. Ignore the nay-sayers. Some have mentioned in Reddit and Quora how Duolingo helped them learn French more easily even though they have been taking official lessons in school. That is how good Duolingo is.

Ever felt like every time you sit down to study French something happens to disturb you? Well, that won’t be the case if you use Busuu. It cannot magically stop those disturbances, but its French lessons are bite-sized and teach you a lot. So, you won’t feel frustrated even if you are interrupted while studying. Busuu is one of the best French learning free websites.

Memrise has authentic content and you can personalize the lessons. However, it does not explain French grammar and the free plan offers limited resources. You learn by hearing native French language speakers but you do not get to learn contextual meaning.

Then why bother with Memrise? Because it helps build your vocabulary and pronunciation better than other websites. Moreover, you gain access to more French content when you upgrade to the paid version to learn more advanced lessons.

You will find 9000 links to various courses for learning French on this website and it’s completely free. I was floored by the extensive resources available for free. Who dedicates so much time to creating a website that benefits French learners across the globe for free? This is one of the best free French learning websites of all time.

Are you bored with learning French through monotonous video lessons and audio clips? Try this website. Listen to news and podcasts in simplified French to learn; it’s fun, isn’t it? You can take the level test or start practicing using the free exercises the website provides. The content is varied. So, there is no danger of you getting bored midway through learning.

French Learning Websites for Beginners

You come across many French websites to learn. But how many of them help you study and level up? Many don’t even teach you the fundamentals well. Therefore, I searched for the best websites for learning French and came upon some good ones. Feel free to check it out yourself.

Learning basic French and everyday phrases has never been easier. The University of Texas offers this Diploma in French Language studies. You can greet people, describe your personality, talk about fashion, profession, and studies, and order groceries in French by the time you complete this course. This is by no means an exhaustive list of benefits.

You can complete the Diploma for free. But you must purchase the certificate of completion. Alison offers discounts on the certificates periodically. So, you can purchase it at that time if you are facing budget constraints.

This website promises to have you speaking French in a fluid, natural way in no time. But that is a slight exaggeration. Pimsleur is good at increasing your pronunciation proficiency, and it helps you build a vast vocabulary. But it is not great for learning to write or read in French. Its methods are conventional, but it gets the job done.

Rosetta Stone is the best website to learn French online if you want an immersive experience. However, it is not the best option for honing your writing or speaking skills. It makes you associate words with images straight from the beginning. The best thing about this website is you can learn offline, too.

That is why this website is suitable for beginners only. Moreover, using another website along with this is a wise decision. This website alone cannot make you fluent in French and the subscriptions are way expensive. Fortunately, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the website.

You will like Rocket French because of the autonomy it provides you. You decide what and when you want to learn. You can focus on any area of the French language you want. But, this website is best for perfecting your pronunciation and speaking like a native. It has interactive lessons and satisfied students say the more you practice, the better you learn.

Lingolia is great for beginners and has devoted sections for French grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening. You can take the proficiency test to know your level and start learning using the website’s resources accordingly. You can filter the practice exercises by your level. However, Lingolia is best suited for beginners.

Best French Language Learning Websites for All Levels

I came across these websites to learn French while irritating my search engine all the while thinking ‘What is the best website to learn French irrespective of their learning level?’. I spent hours searching for the best websites to recommend and finally stumbled upon these that teach all learners at all levels.

Quora was full of people raving about the British School of Language and how great it is for learning French. I was mildly surprised as I had never heard of it before. However, it is one of the best websites to learn French. It has an intensive and extensive course for its learners. It can teach you for 16 hours non-stop if you can sit through the classes.

FrenchPod101 offers short video lessons and the audio lessons can be slowed down if you want to understand every word. You can use voice recording tools to compare how well you speak like a native. You also get a personal tutor who gives you feedback on your progress. But you have to subscribe to the premium plus plan to get personalized lessons.

This website has 400+ videos to teach you. Articles, quizzes, and games add to the fun of learning. I watched a video about Christmas and it was completely in French. I was asked to watch it without sound and try to answer the question based on what I saw in the video. So, I understood what was being said when I listened to the audio the next time. Awesome, right?

I love how the website makes learning look fun. The lessons have a personal touch. I randomly selected the article ‘Accented Capitals’ and found it pleasantly informative. Beginner or advanced, you will find this website incredibly useful. If I, who knows nothing about French like this website, I am sure you will love it.

The resources provided are far more extensive than I expected. This website even has a Star Wars Day: review galactic spelling article. I am so enamored with this website now, and I have never watched Star Wars; I was a Trekkie. It is the best website to learn French no matter what type of learner you are if you want to become an advanced learner..

You will never desire another website after you see how much it focuses on dictations, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, sayings, phrases, literature, and quotes. Even figures of speech, homonyms, and paronyms are explained well. I think it will be fun to navigate this website and learn French.

How To Choose The Right Website For You To Learn French

Is a free trial available? Check whether there is a free trial period if you opt for a paid course or subscribe to a website. It’s no use regretting the wasted money after you pay and learn the website isn’t the right fit for you.

Check out the reviews: several websites highlight only the positive reviews they get. Search for the negative ones, too. They will tell you whether the website suits your learning style and personality.

What is the duration of the course? Is it weeks, months, or self-paced? You need to think about how much time you can spend learning French daily. Choose the gamified learning websites if you have little time. Enroll in extensive courses if you have more time on your hands.

Tips For Success With French Language Learning

Learn the phonetics: Learning how a letter sounds helps you progress faster. English speakers may find this easier compared to non-English speakers.

Associate images with French words: try to think of the French word for an object rather than the word in your native language. This attempt will help you start thinking in French, making it easier to learn.

Watch media in French: One tip everyone agrees on is to learn any language watch films, hear songs, and read books in that language. Have the subtitles on as long as you want. No one is judging you. But don’t become completely dependent on them.

Watch YouTube channels dedicated to learning French: I haven’t tried this, but many agree that some YouTube channels are worth your time as they teach you French well. Check out Reddit or Quora to know which Youtuber suits your learning style.

Why I Selected These Websites for Learning French?

I chose Duolingo because it is an obvious choice. So many people recommend it to learn French claiming it excels at teaching English, French, and Spanish. Busuu is a good choice for anyone who doesn’t have much time to spare in their busy day to learn French for long. Memrise is great for building vocabulary and getting better at pronouncing French words.

I picked Le Point du FLE for its extensive free resources. Le Francais facile avec RFI teaches predominantly through news and podcasts. It is a relief from the same old video lessons with your instructors preaching at you; so, I chose it. I picked La Langue Francaise because it is truly capable of making you advance your learning level. 

Alison is a trustworthy platform, and the course I chose is offered by the University of Texas. It knows what people only beginning to learn French need to know and how well to teach it. Pimsleur is famous for its ability to teach you perfect pronunciation even though it may feel repetitive at times.

Rosetta Stone came up on my radar because you can learn online or offline using it. That is handy when your Wi-Fi or mobile data connection betrays you and starts giving you a poor connection. Is there anything more irritating than a buffering video? Rocket French is a good choice because it lets us pick what, when, and how to learn.

I selected Lingolia Francais for its separate sections to teach French fundamentals. Besides, navigating the website is easy. British School of Language is one of the oldest websites to be around with efficient instructors to guide you. Moreover, the intensity with which they teach French impressed me.

FrenchPod101’s uniqueness is that it lets you slow down the audio lessons so that you can understand what is being said. This feature is not available on other French language learning websites. Duolingo lets you slow down words and sentences, but it’s different because it does not provide audio clips.

I selected TV5 Monde because it is fun to use it to learn French. It may not have games, but it still found a way to make learning French fun. Lawless Structure’s personal touch in every article and the effort put into making learning French a seamless experience for us made me connect with the website.

You can always use other websites as supplementary resources if you feel my list of best websites isn’t exhaustive; hey, to each their own. Anyway, don’t forget to study hard. Just ensure you don’t burn out due to stress. Your health is important, too.