young-woman-listening-to-audio-studying

English Listening Practice: 60 Best Audio Resources for Every Skill Level

Practicing your English listening skills is easy when you have the right tools for the job.

Whether you’re looking for an on-the-go app, the perfect podcast for your interests or a way to practice your listening and reading skills at the same time, we have some great recommendations for you.

Tune in to any of the English listening practice resources below. You’ll get access to thousands of audio hours and improve your listening skills!

Contents


Apps

1. English Listening Step by Step

english listening step by step

Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available on: Android

Level: All levels

This is a complete app that includes over 1,000 audio clips, each of them with a transcript and a listening comprehension quiz.

The audios are divided into different levels, and you can choose the variety of English you want to learn.

2. Listen English Daily Practice

listen english daily practice

Price: Free

Available on: Android

Level: All levels

Divided into five categories (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, British and American English), this app is fantastic if you want a daily dose of English listening.

It includes listening comprehension exercises, vocabulary lists and subtitles, among other cool features.

3. English Listening and Speaking

english listening and speaking

Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available on: Android

Level: All levels

English Listening and Speaking is an app where you can find hundreds of audios divided by level and topic.

What makes this app unique is that you can practice your listening skills both online and offline.

It also includes transcripts, exercises, games and pronunciation practice.

4. Advanced English Listening

advanced english listening

Price: Free

Available on: Android

Level: All levels

Advanced English Listening includes hundreds of lessons with downloadable audio, transcripts, Google translations, listening comprehension tests and more.

You can also download the transcript and exercises of each lesson as a PDF document.

5. LingoClip

lingoclip

Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: All levels

If you love music and want to use your favorite songs for listening practice, LingoClip (formerly LyricsTraining) is all you need.

By using fill-in-the-blank exercises, LingoClip can transform every song into an English listening lesson.

Just search for the song you want to practice with, choose a level of difficulty and hit “Play.”

6. Pimsleur

learn english audio

Price: $20.49/month

Available on: iOS | Android

Level: All levels

Pimsleur English courses are different because they consider your native language when teaching you English.

For example, they offer English for Spanish Speakers, English for Mandarin Speakers, English for French Speakers and many more course options.

Each course is audio only so you can listen while you do other activities. And you can try a free English lesson on their website!

Online Platforms and Websites

7. ELLLO

elllo

Price: Free

Level: All levels

The English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO) is a wonderful place where everything revolves around practicing your English listening comprehension.

There are over 3,000 audio clips divided into seven big categories. Among this huge collection, you’ll find audio lessons with native speakers, short audios with foreign learners speaking English, audio-based grammar lessons and idiom lessons.

The site has level codes so you can easily find the videos for your level.

My favorite category is “Mixer.” Mixer lessons have six different foreign speakers giving answers to the same questions.

8. esl-lounge.com

esl-lounge

Price: Free

Level: All levels

esl-lounge.com includes hundreds of listening comprehension exercises divided into five categories: Beginner, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Advanced and Business English.

Once you choose your category, you’ll see a list of audio lessons. They each come with a brief description, the grammar used and the type of English used in the audio. 

For each lesson, you can choose to listen while reading the transcript or listen and take a quiz.

9. Listen A Minute

listen a minute

Price: Free

Level: Upper-beginner to intermediate

Listen A Minute is a simple website that includes hundreds of short listening clips.

Each audio is followed by a lot of activities to help you master the topic.

All the recordings are in British English.

10. Learnenglishfunway.com

learnenglishfunway

Price: Free

Level: Upper-beginner to intermediate

Sometimes, all you need is a lot of short stories read by native speakers in “slow-but-not-very-slow” English—which is what the listening section of Learnenglishfunway.com has to offer.

You won’t find much besides the audio and the transcript here, but if you want to learn more English, you can visit the other sections on the site.

11. Breaking News English

breaking news english

Price: Free

Level: All levels

Breaking News English has over 3,000 English lessons carefully designed to help you learn English with fun and interesting news.

Choose a level on the piece of news you want to read or go directly to the list of news from your level.

After that, click on any of the options in the “Listen” section and start learning!

12. TalkEnglish

talkenglish.com

Price: Free

Level: All levels

TalkEnglish offers three levels (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced) with 34 audio lessons each.

Each lesson is divided into three easy steps: listen to the dialogue, answer the quiz questions and read the dialogue (if you want the extra practice).

You can also download all the audio for a one-time payment.

13. British Council’s LearnEnglish

british council

Price: Free

Level: A1-C1 of the CEFR

You can now tell your friends you’re learning English with the British Council for free.

Just choose your level, pick a topic you like and start the lesson. If you do not know your level, you can take their free online test.

Each lesson includes a preparation task, a short dialogue and listening tasks.

14. Speechling

speechling

Price: Free

Level: All levels

If you think dictations are boring, wait until you try Speechling.

In the Settings box right under Dictation Practice, choose the variety of English you want to practice, the gender of the speaker and the category/level/topic you want.

The best part is you get immediate feedback after each short dictation.

15. DailyStep English

dailystep english

Price: Free trial available; starts at £6.00 (approx. $7) per month

Level: All levels

With DailyStep English, you can improve your listening comprehension skills gradually as you level up.

The audio lessons for beginners include just a couple of sentences, while the audio clips for advanced learners can be up to two minutes long.

Each lesson includes two audio versions, one in British English and one in American English.

You get five free lessons, one for each level. If you like the learning method, you’ll have to buy a lesson plan

16. Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab

randall's esl cyber listening lab

Price: Free

Level: All levels

This superb website is a listening lab for everyone whose main learning focus is listening to English.

All the activities included on the site are audio-based. You can choose among different levels of difficulty, as well as categories such as culture, vocabulary and academic English.

17. IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive) 

idea international dialects of english archive

Price: Free

Level: Advanced

The International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) is not created for learners of English. Instead, it’s an encyclopedia of English dialects and accents from all around the world.

I recommend this site for advanced learners looking for a real challenge. The site includes hundreds of native and foreign English speakers who speak different dialects and accents of English.

18. English Grammar

english grammar

Price: Free

Level: Advanced

If you’re an advanced English learner looking for listening exercises designed specifically for your level, the English Grammar site will be your new favorite place.

Choose the type of listening exercise you want to do and pick a topic from the list.

Podcasts

19. 6-Minute English

6 minute english

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Level: Intermediate

If you want to practice listening to the British accent while you learn about hundreds of interesting topics like food, stress, new technologies, mermaids, space or fashion, this app is for you.

All you need to do is go to the website (or wherever your get your podcasts) and set aside six minutes of your time.

20. The English We Speak

the english we speak

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: Intermediate

BBC’s The English We Speak is a section inside the BBC’s Learn English website.

The section tries to make English interesting for teenagers and young people through audio clips of under three minutes.

This site is perfect for you if you want to learn real British slang.

21. Podcastsinenglish.com

podcastsinenglish

Price: Free

Available on: Website

Level: All levels

Podcastsinenglish.com is a collection of hundreds of downloadable podcasts created for learners of ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students.

Each episode is a natural conversation between two native speakers about a random topic. The conversation usually lasts about three minutes.

22. Luke’s English Podcast

luke's english podcast

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Luke, the podcast host, is an English teacher and a stand-up comedian from London.

He uses his background to teach you English in a professional way while allowing you to have lots of fun.

Currently, there are over 800 episodes, with each lasting between 45 and 60 minutes.

23. Happy English Podcast

happy english podcast

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: All levels

Practice your American English listening comprehension while you learn about phrasal verbs, tricky vocabulary words, idioms and grammar.

Presented by Michael DiGiacomo, this podcast has nearly 700 episodes that range from 4 to 10 minutes.

24. Rough Translation

rough translation

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: Advanced

Rough Translation is a podcast for the brave, both psychologically and linguistically speaking.

In other words, this is a podcast for advanced learners who want to practice their English skills while listening to people from all backgrounds talking about social issues and hardships.

25. Adept English Podcast (Learn English Through Listening)

adept english podcast

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: All levels

With nearly 700 episodes, the Adept English Podcast is focused on teaching people English through listening.

Although many episodes cover everyday topics such as gardens, travel, spring and marathons, some discuss more challenging subjects like mRNA, space, autism and psychology.

The podcast also includes many episodes on English grammar, idioms, phrasal verbs and pronunciation.

While this podcast is great for all levels, complete beginners might find some episodes hard to follow unless they check the transcripts.

26. Down to Business English

d2b english

Price: Free (with paid members-only episodes starting at $7 a month)

Available on: Website | Spotify

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

This interesting podcast will teach you business English with the help of business news from around the world.

The hosts analyze the news and teach you related vocabulary, expressions, grammar and cultural differences in the world of business.

27. Stuff You Should Know

stuff you should know

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

A podcast for curious minds, Stuff You Should Know will tell you everything you’ve always wanted to know but never thought to ask about random things—from alligators, the Statue of Liberty and free speech to sarcasm, hurricanes and ketchup. 

28. Better@English

better at english

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Better@English is a podcast created specifically for ESL and EFL students.

Even though the aim is to improve your listening comprehension, you’ll actually improve your other English skills as well if you use all the free features of each episode.

This podcast is mainly for intermediates, but there are materials for beginners and advanced learners on the site, too.

29. Zapp! English

zapp english

Price: Free (premium course available for €111 before discounts or approximately $120)

Available on: Website | Google Podcasts

Level: Intermediate to advanced

This is a very good place to practice English listening comprehension while you build up your vocabulary. The hosts do an excellent job of including useful words and phrases related to the topic of each episode.

The audios can be downloaded for free, but you have to subscribe if you want the transcriptions.

30. Passenger List

passenger list

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Level: Advanced

Flight 702 is missing. It disappeared somewhere between London and New York.

I have no more info except for a few audio files and a website where you can help solve the mystery.

31. You Are Not So Smart

you are not so smart

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Level: Advanced

You Are Not So Smart is a podcast that is hard to put into any specific category.

Learn about reason, decision-making, vaccines, judgment, intelligence, narcissism (excessive love of the self) and a whole lot of other super interesting topics.

32. 99% Invisible

99 percent invisible

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Level: Advanced

A podcast about design and architecture is not what you normally listen to when you try to practice your listening skills, but that is why I am including 99% Invisible on this list.

If you’re an advanced English learner and want to push your limits, give this challenging podcast a try.

33. Scientific American Podcasts

scientific american

Price: Free

Available on: Website

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

The Scientific American journal has tons of podcast episodes on every scientific topic you could imagine.

Most episodes last between 10 to 20 minutes, but there are some that are only a couple of minutes long. There are transcripts available if you want to follow along more easily.

I recommend that you subscribe to the “60-Second Science” series.

34. EnglishClass101

learn english audio

Price: Free

Available on: Spotify | Apple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts | PodBean

Level: All levels 

One of the most popular podcast programs for English learners is EnglishClass101 by Innovative Language. It has over 1,500 video and audio lessons to teach you English, in the style of podcasts.

These podcasts are hosted by native English speakers and come with interactive learning tools so that you can practice your English with relevant activities.

35. “Wooden Overcoats”

learn english audio

Price: Free

Available on: Website | SpotifyApple Podcasts | PodBean

Level: Upper intermediate to advanced

“Wooden Overcoats” is a clever British comedy podcast set on a small island that follows the director of a local funeral home and his new employee. 

It has won multiple comedy awards and nominations. Each episode also comes with a script! 

Radio Stations and Shows

36. KQED Radio

kqed

Price: Free

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

Based in San Francisco, KQED Radio was created to “inform, inspire and involve,” which is actually their motto.

It’s a public radio station that focuses mainly on local news, although they also cover national and international news.

KQED Radio’s podcasts are high-quality and very well-produced. I especially recommend MindShift.

37. WAMU (American University Radio)

wamu 88.5

Price: Free

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

WAMU is based in Washington and focuses mainly on politics and education news.

You can listen to their live radio 24/7. You can check out the complete list of all their shows or give any of their fantastic podcasts a try.

38. BBC Sounds

bbc sounds

Price: Free

Level: Intermediate to advanced

True to its name, BBC Sounds is a fantastic collection of sounds of every kind, mainly in British English.

From music, news and sports to science, relaxation and documentaries, everything is covered in their hundreds of programs. 

39. WNYC (New York Public Radio)

wnyc

Price: Free

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Also a public radio station, WNYC specializes in news, technology, culture, media, events and music.

Have a look at their long list of shows to check out the schedule, or just click on any of their live streams to see what’s on this English language radio station.

40. “Cabin Pressure”

learn english audio

Price: $12.78 for Series 1

Level: Upper intermediate to advanced

This is one of the best British comedies which aired on BBC Radio 4. It follows the adventures of a small airline.

There are only four characters (and one of them is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). The episodes are each 30 minutes long, so you can listen to one or several at a time.

You can listen to a sample (with a transcript!) on YouTube

Streaming Platforms and Video Resources

41. Netflix

netflix

Price: Starts at $6.99/month

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: All levels

No matter what type of show you prefer, there’s a good chance you can find it on this popular streaming platform.

The great thing about Netflix is you can change the audio and subtitle settings. That means you have the option to change the language as it’s spoken on the show and the language it’s being translated in the captions.

Beginners can watch their favorite show in English with subtitles in their native language, while advanced learners can watch the show entirely in English without subtitles. 

42. FluentU

Price: Free trial available (starts at $19.99 per month)

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: All levels

FluentU is a language learning platform that makes use of authentic video content (content that native speakers actually watch) with interactive subtitles.

That means that whenever you don’t understand a word you hear or see onscreen, you can click on the subtitles to get information like a word’s definition, example sentences, other videos where that word appears and more.

Once you’re done watching any of the videos (which can be movies, clips, newsreels and the like), you can test yourself with quizzes or add the new words to personalized flaschcards. 

43. Hulu

hulu

Price: 30-day free trial (starts at $7.99/month)

Available on: Website | iOS

Level: All levels

Hulu is another streaming platform that lets you watch some of the most popular movies and TV shows today. 

The only downside is that Hulu is only available in the United States and Japan. If you’re able to access it, it can be a great supplement to the likes of Netflix.

44. Amazon Prime Video

amazon prime video

Price: $14.99 per month

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: All levels

Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video hosts a ton of TV series, movies and more. They even have exclusive content, meaning there are some videos that you can only watch on the platform and nowhere else.

If you download the app, you can watch the videos offline on your device, so you do not have to worry if your internet connection is weak or nonexistent.

45. Disney+

disney plus

Price: Starts at $7.99 per month

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: All levels

Disney is known for movies that have captivating stories, catchy songs and unforgettable characters.

Whether you’re someone who grew up on their 2D animated features or the more recent 3D films, you’ll find them all on this platform. You’ll also find live-action shows that Disney helped produce like the Marvel superhero movies.

46. TED Talks

ted talks

Price: Free

Available on: Website | Android

Level: Upper-beginner to advanced

TED Talks contains thousands of videos of up to 20-minute talks given by professionals and normal people like you and me.

They talk about their experience on a given topic, share their thoughts and try to deliver messages that inspire and make you think.

Out of all the talks I’ve watched in my life, Tim Urban’s “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator” is my favorite.

If you’re looking for educational content, you can also go to the TED-Ed section of the website.

47. English Club TV

english club tv

Price: Free (paid version starts at $1.99 per month)

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Levels: All levels

English Club TV is an educational channel that focuses on teaching English through TV programs. 

There are thousands of videos you can watch if you buy a subscription. You can also check out these three livestreams that cover topics for kids and adults of all levels.

YouTube Channels

48. EnglishClass101

Price: Free

Level: All levels

EnglishClass101 is one of the best YouTube channels to learn English on the platform.

Their English comprehension practice videos are divided into levels from absolute beginner to advanced, complete with lots of listening exercises.

49. Learn English American

Price: Free

Level: Beginner to upper-intermediate

Learn English American is a YouTube channel that focuses on teaching listening and speaking skills to American English learners.

The videos are divided according to whether they focus on everyday topics, easy conversations and dialogues.

The great thing about this is that you can read what is being said on the screen, so the videos are easy to follow.

50. English7Levels

Price: Free

Level: All levels

English7Levels allows you to practice English listening through stories, conversations and even a fun mini-series.

The videos specifically devoted to listening comprehension increase in difficulty as you level up. 

The first level, or “Level 0,” is missing from their YouTube channel, but you can access it on their website.

51. Oxford Online English

Price: Free (has members-only content)

Level: All levels

Imagine attending a real British language school from the comfort of your home.

You can do that with Oxford Online English, a YouTube channel created by real teachers where you’ll find hundreds of videos that are great for grammar-oriented listening sessions.

52. EnglishAnyone

Price: Free

Level: Intermediate to advanced

EnglishAnyone is a YouTube channel anyone can use to improve all their English language skills.

There’s a list of videos for advanced students to improve their listening comprehension. Feel free to check out the speaking videos as well since the “Master English Conversation” playlist is also wonderful for an entertaining listening session.

Listening + Reading Resources

53. Voice of America

voa learning english

Price: Free

Level: All levels

Voice of America has been devoted to teaching English to students around the world since 1959.

They gather national and international news and transform them into lessons you can watch or listen to and read at the same time.

The lessons are divided into beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

54. ESL Fast

ESL-Fast-logo

Price: Free

Level: Beginner

Practicing your listening skills with ESL Fast is super easy. Pick any of the 25 offered topics and then choose from over 1,500 conversations.

The audios are short and simple, so every learner with a basic knowledge of English will be able to enjoy them.

55. “110 Real Life English Conversations” (with audio)

110-Real-Life-English-Conversations-bookcover

Price: $14.99 ($9.99 for Kindle)

Level: Upper beginner to intermediate

This book comes with over 2 hours of audio of 110 English dialogues and day-to-day conversations inspired by real situations from the author’s life.
 
They’re voiced by 27 different American speakers so you can get exposed to different voices.

Audiobooks

56. LibriVox

librivox

Price: Free (iOS app costs $2.99)

Available on: Website | iOS | Android

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

LibriVox makes books in the public domain available in the form of free audiobooks.

The audiobook catalog is huge, but you can explore it by searching for an author, book title, genre or subject.

The free audiobooks also come with transcripts.

57. Lit2Golit2go

Price: Free

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Lit2Go is a collection of poems and stories you can listen to and read for free.

It’s similar to LibriVox where you can download all the content free of charge. However, you may need written permission in some cases.

The whole site is amazing, but I especially love the “Mathematics” collection.

58. Audiobooks

audiobooksPrice: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available on: iOS

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

If you enjoy listening to full audiobooks, you’ll love this app.

The selection of books is fantastic, as there are thousands of them! But that’s not the only thing Audiobooks has to offer.

The app also allows you to download your favorite audiobooks so you can listen to them offline. If you have no time to listen to a full story, you can always visit the Podcasts section.

59. Audible

audible-logo

Price: $14.95/month

Available on: iOS | Android

Level: Options for all levels

Audible, an Amazon company, has a wide variety of audiobooks in English covering many different genres and formats.

You can find entertaining material like novels and collections of short stories as well as resources focused on language learning, like these audiobooks for speaking English or these on English grammar

With a monthly subscription, you’ll get credits to buy audiobooks and access to Audible Originals. 

60. Apple Books 

apple-books-logo

Price: Varies depending on book

Available on: iOS

Level: Options for all levels

Apple Books is Apple’s digital bookstore and it’s accessible on iOS devices, Macs and iPads.

You can find a wide selection of audiobooks as well as ebooks, with free and paid choices available.

Like with Audible, you can find authentic books written for native English speakers as well as English language learning materials.

 

There you go! A single post with dozens of English listening resources—most of them for free.

Listening comprehension is often overlooked by teachers and language learners, which makes understanding English more difficult in the long run.

Avoid this by practicing your listening skills for at least five minutes every day. You’ll thank yourself very soon!

Stay curious, my friends, and as always, happy listening!

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