Lirica App Review: Learn Languages with Music
Learning a new language can be challenging, but what if you could do it through music?
That’s exactly what Lirica offers—a fun, engaging way to pick up a new language by listening to popular songs.
Instead of traditional flashcards and grammar drills, Lirica immerses you in real-world lyrics, helping you absorb vocabulary and improve your listening skills naturally.
But does it really work?
After spending time with the app, here’s everything you need to know.
What I Loved and What Fell Short
What I Loved
- Unique and fun approach to language learning through music.
- Engaging challenges that reinforce vocabulary, listening, and grammar.
- No sign-up required for free access to lessons.
What Fell Short
- Some lessons lack listening or grammar challenges.
- Occasional glitches, like missing earned awards in the achievements tab.
- No speaking practice feature, which could enhance language learning.
App Interface
Lirica keeps things simple yet visually appealing.
The moment you open the app, you’re greeted with language-learning lessons right on the homepage.
Let’s take a quick look at the main tabs you’ll find in the app:
- Learn: This is your homepage where all lessons are organized. I’ll dive deeper into this section later.
- Play: Here, you’ll find songs categorized by genre and difficulty level.
- Awards: This tab tracks your achievements and progress.
- Settings: As expected, you can tweak your preferences here.
Lirica isn’t overloaded with features.
Instead, it sticks to a single goal: teaching you a new language through music in an engaging way.
Now, let’s explore what makes Lirica a worthy app for language learners.
Key Features
After using Lirica, I found three core features worth highlighting:
- Levels
- Play
- Awards
Let’s break them down.
1. Levels
When you open the app, you land on the Learn page.
At the top, you’ll see a progress bar representing your level.
There are a total of 10 levels, each packed with song-based lessons.
But how exactly does Lirica teach you a language through music?
I chose to learn Spanish, and here’s how a lesson works:
- Tap on a lesson to get started.
- Watch the video to understand the context of the song. This will help you with the upcoming challenge.
- Scroll down, and you’ll see three sections:
- Vocabulary
- Listening
- Discover More
Each section serves a different purpose, so let’s go through them one by one.
i) Vocabulary
This section focuses on expanding your vocabulary.
You’ll see the song lyrics in your target language (Spanish in my case), with certain words highlighted in blue.
- Tap on any blue word to see its meaning.
- Once you’ve reviewed the vocabulary, start the challenge where the song plays in the background, and you have to match the correct meanings to the highlighted words.
- Get an answer right? Earn points.
- Make a mistake? You lose a heart (you get three per challenge).
- Complete the challenge successfully, and you’ll earn Gold or Diamond discs based on your score.
Pro Tip: Take your time learning the blue words before jumping into the challenge—it’ll save your hearts!
At the end of my first Vocabulary challenge, I scored 7,500 points with just one wrong answer.
ii) Listening
In the Listening challenge, you listen to a song and answer multiple-choice questions about the lyrics.
Some lessons may not include this challenge, but when available, it’s a great way to sharpen your listening skills.
iii) Discover More
This section focuses on grammar challenges.
Completing these will earn you a microphone award, which I’ll cover in the Awards section.
Note: Not all songs have all three sections. Some may only include Vocabulary, while others have a mix.
2. Play
Switching to the Play tab, you’ll find different music categories.
Here’s how you can learn using this feature:
- Select a song from any category (some are free, others require a premium subscription).
- Read the lyrics in your target language with English translations (if English is set as your native language).
- Listen to the song while learning the meanings of key-words.
- Jump to the Challenge tab and start the game.
- Fill in the blanks while the song plays in the background.
- Earn points for correct answers.
- Score above 285 points for a Gold disc or 427 points for a Diamond disc.
Every song has different criteria for these discs. My best score was 335 points, which earned me a Gold disc—but no Diamond yet.
3. Awards
This is where Lirica keeps you motivated.
The Awards tab has three sections:
- Fans: Earned by completing Vocabulary challenges. These titles boost motivation. So far, I’ve reached Shower Singer status and need 120 more fans to become a Karaoke Star.
- Vocabulary: Tracks all the words you’ve learned through song lessons. I’ve learned 19 words so far.
- Achievements: Earn different types of awards:
- Microphones: Earned by completing full lessons in the Learn section.
- Grammar-Y: Awarded for finishing grammar challenges.
- Gold & Diamond Discs: Won by scoring high in song challenges.
One issue I faced: Although I earned two Microphone awards, they didn’t show up in my achievements tab. Likely a bug that needs fixing.
Pricing
One of the best things about Lirica? You can use it for free.
No sign-up is required—just download and start learning.
However, the free version has limited song access.
Here’s what the premium plans look like:
- Monthly: $8.49
- Quarterly: $19.99
- Yearly: $24.99
Considering how engaging the Lirica app is, the yearly plan seems like the best deal if you’re serious about learning.
My Final Take on Lirica
Lirica makes language learning fun and interactive by combining music with engaging challenges.
If you love music and want a unique way to pick up a new language, this app is worth a try.
While there are a few minor glitches, the overall experience is enjoyable and effective.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Especially if you enjoy learning through real-world context rather than traditional methods.
