Duolingo Inc. is an American language learning technology company that offers a gamified language learning platform to its users. The company was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company's app offers language courses in more than 40 languages and is available on iOS, Android, and the web.
Duolingo offers language courses that are designed to be fun and engaging, using a combination of exercises, games, and challenges to help users learn new vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The app also includes a feature that allows users to chat with native speakers of the language they are learning, in order to practice their skills in real-life conversations.
One of the unique aspects of Duolingo's approach to language learning is its use of a "freemium" business model, which allows users to access the app for free but charges for premium features such as offline access to courses and ad-free usage. Duolingo also offers language certification tests that are accepted by a number of institutions and organizations around the world.
Duolingo has received widespread acclaim for its innovative approach to language learning, and has won numerous awards, including Apple's iPhone App of the Year in 2013 and Google Play's Best App of the Year in 2015. As of 2021, the company claims to have over 500 million users worldwide, and is considered to be one of the fastest-growing language learning platforms in the world.
In addition to its language learning platform, Duolingo has also launched a number of other initiatives aimed at promoting language education around the world. For example, the company has launched a program called "Duolingo for Schools," which provides free access to its platform for K-12 classrooms around the world. Duolingo has also established a non-profit arm, the Duolingo Foundation, which aims to provide access to language education to people in underserved communities around the world.