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How it works

The Voice Path.

Eight rings, from your first hello to speaking like someone who grew up with the language. Our own scale, written in plain words, so you always know what you can do and what comes next.

Every lesson: hear it, say it, use it.

Hear it

A real voice first: a native speaker, or someone from your own family with Family Voice.

Say it

Speak out loud. Tone Mirror draws your pitch over a native speaker’s, so tones and stress are something you can see.

Use it

Put it to work in a conversation, a story, a game or a voice note to someone you love.

The eight rings

From Greeter to Voice Carrier.

Each ring has three steps: Starting, Growing, Strong. A step label reads like “Table Talker · Growing”. To finish a ring you Tie the Knot, a friendly check of what you can now do, never a timed exam.

  1. Ring 1: Greeter

    You greet people, say who you are and get by with short, learned phrases.

    1. StartingSingle words and set greetings.
    2. GrowingShort learned phrases for everyday moments.
    3. StrongStrings learned phrases together in a short exchange.

  2. Ring 2: Table Talker

    You handle everyday errands, short phone calls and simple chats about your life.

    1. StartingShort sentences of your own about yourself.
    2. GrowingEveryday errands from start to finish.
    3. StrongA short phone call or chat that you keep going.

  3. Ring 3: Conversationalist

    You make your own sentences and hold real conversations about your days.

    1. StartingYour own simple sentences, not only learned ones.
    2. GrowingQuestions and answers in a real conversation.
    3. StrongVisits, appointments and gatherings in the language.

  4. Ring 4: Fluent

    You tell stories, share opinions and talk about plans with ease in everyday life.

    1. StartingLinked sentences about the past and the future.
    2. GrowingOpinions with reasons, stories with a beginning and an end.
    3. StrongA short speech, a folktale, a long warm conversation.

  5. Ring 5: Storyteller

    You narrate and describe across past, present and future, and read and write real texts.

    1. StartingParagraph-length speech across time frames.
    2. GrowingFormal and familiar speech, chosen on purpose.
    3. StrongReal stories, letters and broadcasts.

  6. Ring 6: Rooted

    You talk about society, history and ideas, argue a point and support it.

    1. StartingHistory, institutions and the economy in detail.
    2. GrowingBeliefs, the arts and identity, discussed with care.
    3. StrongSupported opinions, hypotheses and debate.

  7. Ring 7: Voice of the Room

    You speak and write with skill and style on almost any topic, formal or informal.

    1. StartingLiterature, names and proverbs with depth.
    2. GrowingOratory and essays with structure and style.
    3. StrongAbstract and specialist topics, translated and taught.

  8. Ring 8: Voice Carrier

    You use the language like an educated native speaker and carry it on for others.

    1. StartingResearch, interviews and documents of your own.
    2. GrowingLeading, teaching and collecting the language.
    3. StrongNear-native in every register, tested in full.

Skills

Tune it to how you already know the language.

Many heritage learners understand more than they say, or speak but can’t read. Tell us where you are and the path leans into what you need most.

Speaking

“I can talk with someone.”

Listening

“I can understand it when I hear it.”

Sounds and tones

“I can say the sounds and tones right.”

Reading

“I can read it when I see it written.”

Writing

“I can spell and write it myself.”

  • I speak it, but can’t read or write it. Learn to read and spell the words you already know.
  • I understand it, but I don’t speak. Find your voice, then read and write.
  • I can read it, but speaking is hard. Sounds, tones and real conversations.
  • I’m starting fresh. A bit of everything, from the very first word.

Tone Mirror

See your voice.

In Igbo, Yoruba, Mandarin, Vietnamese and many more, the pitch of a word changes its meaning. Tone Mirror shows a native speaker’s pitch as a soft band and your own as a line. Keep your line inside the band and your tone is right.

Pitch is worked out on your phone, so practising tones works offline.

And around every lesson.

Stories and readings

Short stories, letters and folktales sized to your ring, with listening practice to match.

The translator

Ask how to say something. Answers from our lessons come first, with sound and tones, and say whether a native speaker has checked them.

Voice notes

Swap recordings with a study buddy, your circle or a native speaker coach.

Play

Challenges, live duels, a daily puzzle and weekly leagues.

Offline lessons

Download units for the bus, the plane or a visit home with patchy signal.

Placement

Already speak a little? A short check starts you at the right ring and step.

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