The Best Apps to Learn English Offline (2026)
An English app works with no connection only when its words already sit on your phone. Babbel's App Store page says you can download lessons and learn offline. Miji keeps its English dictionary and its practice on the device. Duolingo and Busuu say nothing about offline use.
This article is published by Miji’s maker.
What offline really means on a phone
Offline means the app already holds what you are about to ask it for. No signal, no waiting, no blank screen.
Most learning apps keep their lessons on the internet. You tap a lesson, and the app goes and gets it. Lose the signal, and there is nothing to open.
An offline app moves that material onto the phone first. A dictionary can ship its words inside the app itself. A course app can let you pull lessons down before you leave.
So one question sorts them all. Where do the words live: on your phone, or somewhere else?
A quiet store page is not a promise
Here is the trap. An app that never mentions the internet is not therefore an offline app.
Apps advertise what they are proud of. A listing that skips offline use has usually skipped it for a reason.
So this page reports only what each app claims. Where a store page says nothing, you will read that here too, and you should plan for the worst.
One thing is true anywhere. Signing in, buying and watching ads all want a connection.
The best apps to learn English offline in 2026
Seven apps, sorted by what their own pages claim. Miji's words and its row come from its App Store page, like the others. The ones that name offline use come first.
Babbel
Babbel is built for real conversations, in courses shaped for speakers of your own language. Its App Store page lists an offline mode: download lessons, then learn anywhere. So choose your lessons while you still have a signal.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary explains English words in simple wording, for learners. Its page says you can access the content offline. It also speaks each word in British and American accents.
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster is an English dictionary with synonyms built in. Its page promises complete access to both, connected or not. Word games and a word of the day sit beside the reference.
Miji
Miji is an English dictionary for iPhone, built around the words you look up. Its 85,000 English words ship inside the app, so a search needs no connection. Tap Remember on a meaning, and Miji writes the flashcards for you. Your practice runs offline as well. Miji covers English only, and it needs an iPhone on iOS 26 or later.
WordUp
WordUp is built for English vocabulary. It puts the most common English words in an order chosen for you. Offline mode is one of the features its page lists.
The last two are here so you know where they stand. Neither page claims offline use.
Duolingo
Duolingo teaches a whole language in short lessons that play like a game. Its App Store page says nothing about learning with no connection, so check before you rely on it.
Busuu
Busuu is built for speaking early and with confidence. It pairs its lessons with feedback and tips from native speakers around the world. Its page does not mention offline study either.
| App | Price to download | Rating | Last update | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel - Language Learning | Free | 4.7 from 750,000+ ratings | October 8, 2026 | iOS 17.0 or later |
| Miji: Dictionary & Flashcards | Free | No ratings yet | October 14, 2026 | iOS 26.0 or later |
| Oxford Advanced Learner's Dict | Free | 2.3 from 99 ratings | March 4, 2024 | iOS 13.0 or later |
| Merriam-Webster Dictionary | Free | 4.8 from 320,000+ ratings | September 22, 2026 | iOS 15.0 or later |
| WordUp - Vocabulary Builder | Free | 4.8 from 13,000+ ratings | September 28, 2026 | iOS 15.6 or later |
| Duolingo: Learn Languages | Free | 4.7 from 5,500,000+ ratings | October 12, 2026 | iOS 17.0 or later |
| Busuu: Language Learning App | Free | 4.7 from 100,000+ ratings | October 4, 2026 | iOS 18.0 or later |
Notice the split. Babbel, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Miji and WordUp each say something about working offline. Duolingo and Busuu do not.
Want the wider view? Here are the best apps to learn English vocabulary.
Before the signal goes
A short checklist for a flight, a tunnel or a thin data plan.
- Pull the lessons down first. A course app can only give you what you saved while connected.
- Open the app once before you go. Some apps finish setting themselves up on the first run.
- Check the sound. Audio is heavy, and it is not always stored with the rest.
- Expect sign-in to fail. Logging in, restoring a purchase and ads all want a connection.
- Keep one thing that is wholly on the phone. A built-in dictionary never asks for a signal.
Miji: the dictionary lives on your phone
Stuck somewhere with no bars, and a word you cannot name? That is the case Miji is built for.
Miji carries its English dictionary inside the app. Nothing is fetched, so a lookup is as quick on a plane as at home.
Type a few letters, and the word arrives with its meanings, example sentences and the sound.
Then tap Remember on the meaning you needed.
That tap writes two flashcards. One gives you the word and asks what it means. The other starts from the meaning and asks for the word.
Practice is offline too. A due word arrives as a notification, and you answer Knew or Forgot on the lock screen. Nothing has to be sent anywhere for that to work.
Notifications depend on your iPhone's permissions and settings.
Miji picks each moment with FSRS, reading your answers as it goes. Miss a word, and it comes back sooner.
What does need a connection? Buying Pro, restoring a purchase, and the optional account that recovers earned word slots. Learning needs none of that.
And what Miji leaves out. It covers English only, on an iPhone running iOS 26 or later. There are no shared decks to download, and nothing is kept in sync.
Miji is free to download. The free version starts with room for 10 words. Search, pronunciation and practice cost nothing.
New to all this? Start with how to use a dictionary to learn English words.
Questions
Which app is best for learning English offline?
It depends what you need offline. For lessons, Babbel says you can download them first. For meanings, Miji stores its dictionary on the device, and Merriam-Webster promises offline access to its definitions.
Can you learn English without internet?
Sometimes. Babbel describes downloading lessons for offline use, and Miji holds its dictionary and practice on the phone. Duolingo and Busuu make no offline claim.
What is a good offline vocabulary app for iPhone?
WordUp names an offline mode and ranks common English words for you. Miji saves the words you look up and practices them with no signal. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary is a reference, and its page says the content reads offline.
Do I need an account to use Miji offline?
No. The dictionary and the practice need neither an account nor a connection. Buying or restoring Pro goes through Apple, and that part needs one.
Does offline practice still use spaced repetition?
Yes. Miji works out the timing on the phone, so a flight changes nothing. Here is how spaced repetition works.