How it works
Stories built for language learners
It can be really hard to get better at a language in a way that is actually fun and interesting. So instead of dull textbooks and confusing native novels, we built Lingofable to craft language learning content that is not only engaging, but also designed to genuinely help you improve.
To do that, Lingofable delivers comprehensible input stories matched to your specific interests and exact proficiency level. The more you read, the more we understand what you enjoy and what the next best words are for you to learn.
The problem
Reading is one of the most powerful ways to learn a language, but:
- Native content is too hard
- Graded readers are boring
- You never really know if something fits your level until you're already lost or bored
There's a reason this is so frustrating:
“We acquire language in only one way: when we understand messages... when we obtain 'comprehensible input.'”
What Krashen doesn't mention here is that input actually has to be interesting enough to keep you reading. That's where most resources fall short, and where Lingofable comes in.
How we match your level
Every story in our library is analyzed against your vocabulary in real time. We target ~98% comprehension (the sweet spot for extensive learning)!
This is because if you can understand 98% of a given text, you'll be able to naturally acquire words in context in a both painless and enjoyable way.
Here's an example of what different levels of comprehensibility look like — the words in bold are made-up, and represent words in a foreign language.
The letter arrives on a Tuesday. No return address. No name. Just your street, written in red ink. Inside, there's a photograph of your apartment building, taken from across the street. On the back, someone has vantched one word: Soon. You lock the door. You check the windows. That night, you can't sleep. Every sound in the hallway makes your heart race. At 3am, your phone lights up. Unknown number. The message reads: You left your kitchen light on. You walk to the kitchen. The light is off. You know you didn't turn it off. Someone is watching. And they want you to grentle it.
98% comprehensible
98% comprehensibility is pretty easy to read! You can understand the vast majority of this, apart from a couple of words here and there.
The next morning, you go to the police. They take notes but don't seem skiffled. “Probably a prank,” the officer says. You walk home slowly, checking over your shoulder. That night, another message: The blue shirt looks nice on you. You're wearing a blue shirt. You slamber to the window and pull the curtains shut. Your hands are rimving. You call your sister — no answer. You call your best friend — voicemail. You sit in the dark, phone in hand, waiting. At midnight, you hear footsteps outside your door. They stop. Then, a soft knock. Someone glespens: “I know you're awake.”
95% comprehensible
A drop of 3% in comprehensibility may not sound like much, but you can immediately feel that this paragraph requires a lot more effort. It's slower to read and not as enjoyable.
You don't bringle. You don't glespern. The crennage outside your door is quiet now. Then you hear it — a soft crinnling sound, like paper. Something prellets under the door. Another glaffer. This time it's a glaffer of you. Sleeping. Taken through your frangle last night. On the back: You look vrentful when you sleep. Your hands are tremving so hard you drop your crummel. “Wasple them on the frib!” You yell. But as you sneak towards the door, you realize that the glimper in the hallway has just vorped off. Footsteps. Closer. Someone is drantling right outside. Someone glespens your name.
80% comprehensible
I don't know about you, but I'm completely lost.
So while we have options for light reads (>98% comprehensible) or level-boosters (95-98% comprehensible), the vast majority of the fables recommended to you will be exactly at that sweet spot of 98% comprehensibility, where the story is not so easy you're bored, and not so hard you're guessing.
Hop on to Lingofable, pick something that looks interesting, and have a go! You'll understand more than you expect, and have fun in the process.
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Made with love by fellow language learners.
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