English Speaking Online: Top Courses, Tutoring Platforms and Practice Resources for 2023
Speaking fluently in English is every learner’s top goal.
With practice, effort and the right resources, you can boost both your skills and confidence to have full English conversations without breaking a sweat.
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how you can do that with the help of some excellent resources, including English speaking courses online.
All you need is dedication and a willingness to learn.
Get your English speaking practice online with the websites below!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Contents
- English Speaking Courses Online
- English Tutoring Platforms
- English Speaking Practice Online
- Other English Speaking Resources
- Tips for Speaking Better English
English Speaking Courses Online
Busuu
Price: Basic membership is free; premium membership prices vary
Busuu is a popular language learning program that helps you improve your speaking along with other skills like listening and reading. Its focus is on conversational phrases, with bite-sized lessons that have tons of video clips and even cultural tips. It also uses speech recognition to quiz you on your pronunciation.
On top of this, it lets you connect with over 50 million native English speakers who can become your conversation partner. To help you out, the app even gives prompts, and you can record your answer out loud then send it off for review.
For more on Busuu, check out this detailed review.
FluentU
Price: Monthly or yearly subscription, with a free seven-day trial
FluentU is a website and app that teaches you English using short web videos like news clips, movie trailers and music videos. This immerses you in how native speakers use English in casual situations, and you’ll pick up slang and everyday expressions.
All of the videos come with interactive subtitles. Click on any unfamiliar word, and you’ll access a video dictionary that includes the word’s definition, plus example sentences and videos that use the word.
After watching a video, you can take a personalized review quiz. And if you’re using the FluentU app on iOS or Android, the speech recognition feature lets you practice your pronunciation during these review sessions.
Perfectly Spoken
Price: Many lessons are free; subscription needed for additional features
Perfectly Spoken has a ton of English speaking resources of varying levels—best of all, you can access hundreds of them for free!
The courses are taught with video lessons that cover different topics and speaking skills. Besides general beginner, intermediate and advanced courses, you can also find more situation-based courses. Examples include English used in hospitality settings, business English, English used in films and so forth.
Aside from free resources, there are also priced plans that give you extra items. These include practice tests, specialized courses, unlimited lesson access and certificates of course completion.
BBC Learning English
Price: Free
With this British English resource, you’ll never get bored, as the lessons range from easy to hard and they have different formats. The lessons often feature interesting topics that you can bring up in English conversations, such as regularly updated news stories.
They even have a handy series on how to speak English naturally, along with a podcast called “The English We Speak” that talks about trendy slang. Don’t miss out too on their pronunciation workshops, which goes over every sound in English.
Many of the lessons come with videos, transcripts, fill-in-the-blank quizzes and grammar info. There’s new content regularly, so this is definitely a website to bookmark!
USA Learns
Price: Free
As a government-sponsored resource, all of the courses on USA Learns are available for free!
To start off, its English speaking course aims to improve your listening comprehension with short video stories that include dialogues.
You then review key vocabulary and sentences by saying them aloud into your microphone and comparing your pronunciation to a native speaker’s.
There are other activities that aim to improve your ability to answer questions and use grammar properly.
USA Learns is recommended for beginner to intermediate learners. But you should definitely check out the other courses here—there’s even one that’s focused on English pronunciation.
British Council
Price: Plenty of free resources; live lessons available with subscription
The British Council has a lot of English-learning resources for anyone interested in the language.
The self-study online course comes with many lessons that aim to improve your English communication skills for both social and workplace situations.
At your own pace, you work on your skills with teacher-led videos, audio clips and more. New content is released monthly to keep your learning fresh.
There are also live lessons, where you can ask questions and put your skills to the test with other classmates or a teacher. If you’d prefer, you can also book private tutor sessions that focus on conversation skills.
Learn English with EnglishClass101.com
Price: Free
EnglishClass101.com has its own website with English lessons, but you can get a lot of free material just by staying updated with their YouTube channel. It tackles so many conversational English topics, including common phrases, speaking with confidence and doing interviews in English, that it may as well be an entire course!
You’ll have plenty of fun scrolling through the different playlists. There are even daily livestreams that feature English speaking and listening practice.
Learn English with EnglishClass101.com is suited for all levels of learners. The channel has such a wide variety of content that any learner of any level can pick up useful tips and tricks.
Curious about it? Here’s an in-depth review.
ABA English
Price: Monthly subscription, with a seven-day free trial
Calling itself a “digital English language school,” ABA English has a special self-study course that promises to turn you into a confident English speaker.
There are 144 units categorized into six levels, from beginner English (A1) to business level (C1). For that reason, anyone of any level can take the course and practice their skills.
ABA English uses its own teaching method based on video lessons and short, dialogue-filled films. You work to improve your listening comprehension skills before tackling speaking and writing.
Live classes and conversation lessons are also offered if you want more specialized practice with a teacher.
LEO Network
Price: Free
If you like the layout of textbook lessons, then LEO Network is the right place for you. There are 57 lessons spread across 12 units. They even have an entire pronunciation section that includes dictation tests, homophone lists and exercises to improve how your accent and intonation.
Take advantage of the test and assignment they give at the end of their regular lessons and leave a comment in case you have a question. A moderator will then assist you.
It also seems like they’re fans of our mix-and-match method since they give song recommendations in their lessons!
engVid
Price: Free
engVid has over 1,900 online lessons covering vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and more, and they actually have more than 250 lessons focused on English speaking. Topics include polite and professional English, how to talk about the weekend and expressions to praise and encourage others.
The free English lessons are usually classroom-like videos where teachers explain concepts on a whiteboard, with a quiz to test your understanding and a chat box to ask the teachers questions.
In the Resources category, you can also find a long list of written lessons, such as 60+ English words shortened in conversation and 100+ basic business questions and answers.
Coursera
Price: Most courses are free to audit, but you’ll need to pay to get an official certificate
Coursera is one of the most popular platforms for courses by top universities.
It has a specialization course that’s exclusively focused on English communication skills. Provided by Georgia Tech, it’s best suited for beginners. In this course, you’ll learn to speak professionally, write professional emails and build an online portfolio.
Another course would be “Learn English: Advanced Academic Speaking and Listening Specialization,” offered by the University of California, Irvine. This is for advanced learners, and it’ll teach you how to listen to lectures, speak confidently with your classmates and teacher and improve your presentation skills.
EdX
Price: Most courses are free to audit, but you’ll need to pay to get an official certificate
EdX is another great MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) site that offers actual college courses. You can even earn college credits from some courses and get official certificates from universities, with additional payment.
EdX has a regularly updated selection of English courses, but it’s especially great for business English.
One standout course is Preparing to Network in English, taught by University of Washington. The emphasis is on speaking, with topics like introducing yourself professionally and how to greet people from different countries. It’s part of a professional certificate in English for business networking, which includes four courses that you can take separately.
FutureLearn
Price: Free for limited access; subscription needed for certificate
Some of you might be looking to improve your speaking skills for an exam. British Council’s FutureLearn platform has a specific course devoted to the IELTS exam, which is one of the most popular exams globally for measuring English proficiency.
Plus, you’ll only have to commit three hours a week for three weeks.
They also have a Basic English course, which is designed for beginners who want to learn English for school or work. By the end of the course, you’ll have learned how to express yourself in everyday situations and improved your listening skills. You’ll then be ready to enroll in the next course: Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate.
Alison
Price: Free, with payment required for certificates
If you’re looking for a course that will hone both your speaking and writing skills, then give Alison’s “Speaking and Writing English Effectively” course a shot. It’s a short introductory course that’s ideal for those looking to work in academics or journalism.
You’ll learn vital communication skills, including tips on the right tone and voice to use, that will help you with public speaking.
For a more general course, check out this Introduction to Conversational English course. It promises to improve your English speaking confidence in just one to two hours of coursework.
Udemy
Price: Usually $10 to $20 per course
Udemy is a class-hosting website similar to Coursera, and it has a section that’s specifically for English conversation courses.
One course that’s worth checking out is “English Language Pro | Spoken English Conversation + Culture.” It’ll teach you what you need to know for everyday English dialogue. You’ll pick up useful vocabulary, phrases and idioms, such as for when you’re describing yourself, when you’re traveling or when you’re in a business setting.
Plus, you get to learn a bit about American culture!
The course description states that those who aren’t absolute beginners can benefit the most from the lessons.
LanguageGuide.org
Price: Free
If you’re a beginner or intermediate speaker whose learning style is primarily visual and auditory, Language Guide is ideal for you.
Every vocabulary lesson is organized into a set of images that you can hover over to hear and read the words associated with it. 80 topics are featured, and they each come with a listening and a speaking challenge.
Their grammar section focuses on irregular verbs. The game is to conjugate irregular verbs to either the past tense or the past participle. By practicing this, you’ll get much better at using irregular verbs on the go as you speak.
Dave’s ESL Cafe
Price: Free
Learning English with Dave Sperling is a real treat. From the navigation menu, focus on the Stuff for Students category. You’ll find lessons on idioms, phrasal verbs and slang that pop up a lot in English conversations, in addition to grammar info and quizzes.
The lessons are all in a text format and are more suited for students with an intermediate level and above. Don’t let the lack of videos/images hold you back, because this website is a real ESL El Dorado! Every lesson is thoroughly explained, and you can even take a break from studying now and then with their fun Australian slang quiz or dinosaur quiz.
English Tutoring Platforms
Preply
Price: Usually ranges from $10 to $40 per 50-minute lesson
Preply is a top language tutoring website, with more than 12,000 English tutors available online. All of these tutors have credentials such as teaching certificates, and they’re individually checked by Preply. You can even choose them based on specialty, with options like conversational English, English for traveling and business English. Tutoring sessions are usually 50 minutes long.
For a more cost-effective way to practice your speaking, Preply offers group classes, typically with less than 10 students. These are available for all levels, and there are even free-flow classes where you hold discussions with your classmates and the teacher gives corrections.
Verbling
Price: Usually ranges from $10 to $40 per hour of tutoring
Verbling has a selection of tutors at different prices and for different skill levels. The teachers are hand-picked by Verbling, and you can view an introductory video from each one before you make your choice.
What’s nice about Verbling is you can try a free 30-minute trial lesson when you first sign up. You can also watch some scheduled online classes either by signing up for them. Sometimes you can just join in on a class if the class is in session when you visit the website.
Wyzant
Price: Mostly over $40 per hour, with some reaching triple digits
Wyzant is the place to find a professional English tutor who lives near you. (Just keep in mind that this is only available in the United States at the moment.)
If you’re in the US, you can find English tutors all over the country who specialize in teaching ESL. And you’ll even discover tutors who specialize in public speaking and business English.
You might find a tutor that you can meet online, but you can also go for in-person tutoring. You’ll be able to meet up with you tutor face-to-face, at a local library, cafe, park or even at your house!
Oxford Online English
Price: Monthly subscription or pay per tutoring session
If you’re looking for customized English lessons that will help you be a better speaker, then give Oxford Online English a try. They have a number of English courses, including one that’s only devoted to speaking skills.
All you need to do is book a class, and you’ll be paired with a native teacher and have video lessons over Skype, WhatsApp or whatever is convenient for you.
In fact, with each lesson, you’ll get personalized feedback on how to improve. You’ll also have access to free lessons that will help you in your overall language learning.
London School Online
Price: At least $65 per hour for tutoring; $200+ per online course
Another option for personalized English lessons is London School Online. They provide Skype and Zoom English lessons that cover speaking and presentation skills for general use or for the workplace environment.
You can also use London School Online to study for exams like the IELTS.
The lessons are pretty flexible: you’ll discuss your learning goals with your trainer, assess your English level and then begin learning.
Aside from these, they have a few courses that you can check out. For instance, their “English For Hospitality” course is an excellent option for developing soft skills and effectively communicating with clients.
EF English Live
Price: Monthly subscription
Want more personal help?
EF English Live lets you practice your English speaking (and reading, writing and listening) with real teachers!
Based on an initial questionnaire, you’re matched with a special course that fits your level, and you review what you learn with interactive exercises. A voice recognition system also lets you test your speaking skills.
Your teacher will provide feedback for every exercise you complete. The course itself doesn’t focus on a specific kind of English, but the live private or group classes you can attend are great opportunities to practice your conversation and pronunciation!
English Speaking Practice Online
italki
Price: Usually ranges from $10 to $30 per hour
italki is one of the best platforms for English conversation practice. It can connect you with both private tutors and English conversation partners. You’ll get to talk in English the whole time, with the option to go for formal structured lessons or more relaxed chatting.
Sessions usually last for 30 minutes, 45 minutes or an hour. Given the number of English tutors available, you can choose any schedule that you want 24/7 and even mix and match different conversation partners to improve faster.
You can also try italki’s group classes, which range from conversation clubs to business English classes with debates.
For more on italki, click here.
HelloTalk
Price: Free for basic use, but needs a monthly subscription for more new chats and unlimited translations
HelloTalk is one of the most popular language exchange apps today, with more than 30 million members total and thousands of native English speakers. With HelloTalk, you can find an English speaking partner instantly and talk to them in three ways: regular chat, voice messages, or even a phone or video call for live conversations.
What’s handy about the app is there’s an instant translation tool that you can check while chatting. Your partner can even correct the grammar mistakes in your messages!
On top of this, the app offers audio lessons, plus you can post updates to the general community in social media style.
Here’s a detailed review if you’re curious about HelloTalk.
Conversation Exchange
Price: Free
Back before the Internet, people had “pen pals,” or friends who lived far away and communicated by writing letters to each other. Conversation Exchange lets you find an email pen pal you can write to in English.
You can even get very specific with your choice of pen pal. For example, you can specify their learning level, town and country, age, timezone and gender.
Even better, the website helps you do English speaking practice online for free! You can find people to talk to over voice calls, as well as native English speakers who live near you.
Speaky
Price: Free
If you don’t want to download or install any special programs for chatting, you can just sign up on Speaky. This website has a chat platform right on the website, so you can find and talk to people without leaving your browser. You have the option to either send texts or voice messages.
They also have an Android and iOS app so you can easily communicate through your phone.
Speaky matches people up based on similar interests, so there is a good chance that you will have something in common with the speaking partners you find here.
Toastmasters
Price: Free to visit as a guest, but each club has its own fees if you join as a member
The Toastmasters Club is a place where people can learn public English speaking skills. It is not an English learning organization, but rather it is a general speaking practice organization.
Here, anyone can learn and practice speaking in front of others. It is a great place to get more confidence for speaking with people in English. There are videos online that you can check to see if this is the kind of speaking practice you are looking for, and there are clubhouses all over the world.
Find one near you by visiting this page. You can even join clubs that hold online sessions!
VK
Price: Free
Facebook might have the greatest number of social media users in English, with countless pages and groups for English learners, but what if you don’t have Facebook in your country? Have no fear! For students in non-Facebook countries, there’s a good alternative: a social media website called VK.
VK is based in a non-English speaking country (Russia), so it has a really good range of English learning resources.
Popular VK pages for English study include English book clubs, platforms for English teachers and even online English conversation groups that coordinate live English conversation via webcam and phone.
Other English Speaking Resources
Video Game Voice Chat
Do you play video games on your PC or on a console like Xbox or PlayStation? Guess what, you have some English speaking partners already! Many games these days have built-in voice chats, so you can talk to others using a headset with a microphone.
In fact, video game chat should be easier than real-world conversations because no one knows who you are. You can feel free to make mistakes because you never have to talk to them again if you don’t want to.
Remember that you might not learn perfect grammar here, but you will get to hear native speakers talking naturally. Also keep in mind that some video games (for example, shooters like “Call of Duty”) have a lot of cursing in the voice chat, and not everyone is nice. But there are a lot of great gamers who would love to help you out and have fun playing games while you chat.
Chatbots
Not quite ready to dive into interactions with real people? No problem. The internet also has plenty of ways to ease you into the experience–mainly through chatbots.
Chatbots are programs designed to talk to you like a human being but without the pressure of speaking to a real person. You can use these to pretend you’re typing to a real person and prepare yourself for the actual experience of chatting.
You can even talk to personal assistants. What language do you use when you talk to Siri, Alexa, Google, Cortana or any of your other personal assistants? Use English to get some real English-speaking practice! You will need to use correct pronunciation and speak clearly when chatting with these assistants, getting you some practice with real-world speaking.
Physical Meetings
Finally, having a speaking buddy over the Internet is nice, but it is even nicer to make a new friend in person. Surround yourself with English speakers if you can! Find a local group of people who speak English and have the same hobby as you, or find other people who want to learn English.
You can use the website Meetup to find a group of people meeting near you. There are even meetups for people who want to do language exchanges. In language exchanges, you will teach your native language to someone and they will teach you English, like this one in NYC.
If you are planning to travel someplace where English is the common language, instead of getting a hotel, try websites like Airbnb or Couchsurfing instead. You will get to meet and talk with real people, and maybe even make new English-speaking friends.
Tips for Speaking Better English
On top of the resources above, here are some tips and tricks that will improve your speaking skills in no time:
- Practice speaking English in front of a mirror (or with a friend). Speaking fluently isn’t just about saying the right words. It’s also about body language, tone and confidence. So practice speaking in front of a mirror, paying close attention to your gestures, expressions or posture. You can even have a friend or family member give you feedback.
- Use a pronunciation app and a voice recorder. The English language has some weird rules and sometimes the best way to know the right pronunciation of a word is to check the dictionary. There are also apps that use voice recognition software and tell you if you’re pronouncing it the right way or not. You can also record your own voice and play it back to check your progress.
- Watch English media content. Watching English movies or TV shows, especially on Netflix or YouTube, is a good way to immerse yourself in English culture and learn about the aspects of the language that grammar books often miss out on.
- Designate an accountability buddy. Tell a friend or classmate that you’re aiming to improve your English speaking so they can check up on you. This makes it way harder to be lazy!
You won’t become a fluent English speaker in a day. It’s a long process, which will require a lot of hard work and dedication on your part.
But if you keep practicing and push yourself to go beyond your limits, you’ll soon get there.
These resources are a great place to start!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
