So you're studying English on your own, and you're in desperate need of a conversation with someone to test yourself. Imagine you have a friend named ELSA, who not only listens to you attentively but also patiently corrects you, helping you to sound like a native speaker.

Anyway, you don't need to imagine it, because that friend exists, it's an app and it's called ELSA Speak. In fact, it has revolutionized the way we learn English by turning our smartphones into personal assistants to improve our pronunciation.

This won't be like Samantha and Theodore from the movie Her, but it's close! Luckily it focuses on education and leaves the complicated feelings aside.

A friendly companion for talking that lives in your pocket

The app's name does not refer to Disney's famous ice queen, although many people think so. In reality, "ELSA" is an acronym for English Language Speech Assistant, reflecting her mission to be your friend and assist you in learning the beautiful English language.

This innovative artificial intelligence powered app gives you real time feedback, correcting your mistakes and offering personalized lessons. With communication practices that simulate real conversations, ELSA gives you a fun, accessible and efficient way to learn.

Out of every need, solutions are born

ELSA Speak was co-founded by Vu Van, a Vietnamese entrepreneur who, upon moving to the United States, experienced the difficulties of being understood due to her accent.

Vu Van, who holds a master's degree in business administration from the prestigious Stanford University, decided to create a tool that will help others overcome the obstacles she herself faced. The app was launched in 2015 and quickly gained popularity for its innovative and personalized approach.

The art of pronunciation

The application analyzes the sounds emitted by the user, comparing them with the standard of a native speaker. Thanks to speech recognition technology, ELSA identifies specific mistakes and offers advice on how to correct them. In addition, students can see which sounds they need to improve and receive clear instructions on how to do so.

Featured functionalities

• Pronunciation assessment: ELSA performs an initial assessment of the user's pronunciation, identifying areas of strength and weakness.
• Personalized lessons: The app offers lessons adapted to the user's level and progress.
• Conversation practice: Simulates real English conversations allowing the user to practice pronunciation and intonation.
• Scores and progress: Users can monitor their progress over time, motivating them with points and different levels achieved.
• Real time feedback: Provides instant feedback with visual and auditory details, showing exactly where and how to improve.

Other apps and requirements for your mobile device

ELSA Speak's main competitors are apps like Rosetta Stone and Duolingo, which also offer language learning tools but with different approaches.

While Duolingo focuses more on gamification of learning and Rosetta Stone on total immersion, the app with the name of Disney's queen stands out for its emphasis on pronunciation and detailed correction.

In terms of requirements, ELSA Speak is available for both iOS and Android, and requires an internet connection. For a better user experience, it is recommended to use a headset with a microphone to improve the accuracy of voice recognition.

A great ally for a great linguistic journey

In conclusion, ELSA Speak is not only an app, but also an ally in the journey towards total mastery of the English language. Therefore, if your intention is to improve your pronunciation and performance in the language quickly, I would definitely recommend this app over the others that offer language learning tools. Unfortunately, it has the disadvantage of having to pay a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription to access the advanced features.