Slavic languages have always intrigued me as they are not closely related to my native language, which is Filipino. Maybe watching a lot of movies or documentaries that revolve around these countries has piqued my curiosity. But the stunning language and sentence crafting of these languages also made me want to learn more. Especially, not a lot of people study the Serbian language.
For today’s app review, I’m going to take a look at OkyDoky. This app was a hit on social media because it claims that people can effortlessly learn their desired language.
So dive with me if you’re planning to study a new language in a European country or master an Asian language as you explore this OkyDoky review.
What Is OkyDoky?
OkyDoky is a language learning app that nourishes linguistic fluency for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users. It has targeted practice for people like you and me who need a more visual and fast way of memorizing words in an unfamiliar language. It boasts 186 extensive lessons that you can adjust. Whether you’re into structured, picky, or freestyle methods of studying, OkyDoky matches your approach.
Languages Offered: 38+
| Western Europe | Nordic | Asian | Baltic | Southern Europe | Eastern Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German | Danish | Korean | Estonian | Spanish | Serbian |
| French | Swedish | Japanese | Latvian | Italian | Czech |
| Dutch | Norwegian | Thai | Lithuanian | Portuguese | Hungarian |
| Finnish | Chinese | Greek | Polish | ||
| Icelandic | Filipino | Turkish | Russian | ||
| Indonesian | Slovak | ||||
| Vietnamese | Ukrainian |
Learner’s Level: Beginner To Advanced Language Learning
How Does OkyDoky Work?
If you’re familiar with a quick memorization flashcard app, OkyDoky takes that method and improves it. You’re not just going to learn basic words, but you can also create sentences up to the intermediate level right away. From what I’ve noticed, you can effortlessly learn the language just by going through the lessons.
Getting Started With OkyDoky
First, you need to download OkyDoky from the Play Store for Android phones and tablets or the App Store for iPhone and iPad (iOS devices).
First steps: OkyDoky has a quick screen for its purple and white logo, and then it will take you to your account page.
Account creation: One unique thing that I’ve seen from OkyDoky is that you don’t need an account when you first start. Just launch the app from your phone, choose a lesson, and you’re good to go. But, if you do want to create an account to save your progress, there are options for logging in to your Gmail or any other email service you have.
Activating your account: An email from OkyDoky will be sent to your inbox. Just press the verification link, and you’re done.
First Lesson: The app will show you a quick study lesson as an introduction to the language you are studying. You can also skip this tutorial if you want to learn other grammar lessons, topics, and conversations right away.
How The Design And Interface Of OkyDoky Stands Out
While I felt that many of the apps today may look outdated on the other spectrum and super flashy on the other end, OkyDoky is in the middle. Their fonts for categories are large enough for everyone to know these are different sections of the app. Also, each tab has long-tailed topics that will tell you what you’re going to learn on that lesson page. Just like my previous review of Turong Wika, it doesn’t have a dark mode. However, the whole app has a dark background with contrast to colorful pictures and a predominantly white font.
It’s faster to use for me because you can see all their courses in the Study tab right away.
What Are The Key Features Of OkyDoky?
Now that language apps are on-demand, there will be higher standards and requirements that people need for linguistic fluency. As one of those enthusiasts for better memorization techniques, I’ll be giving you a sneak peek of what you can expect when using OkyDoky for the first time.
Simple And Structured Lesson Plans For All Language Levels
Having a structured lesson plan means you can study at your own pace. I think almost all apps nowadays use structured lesson plans. But the problem with it is that many negative reviews will tell you that new language students want to know what they’re learning inside the curriculum. Not only does OkyDoky show you the general topic
Pinned And Difficult Cards
Pinned and difficult cards feature is a handy feature that you can select for phrases, sentences, and words that you want to review again. For example, if there are characters that you want to go back to when writing, you can easily pin these cards and click on them on the Study tab.
You Can Pause And Repeat The Audio With Slow Speed Options
Another highlight of this language learning app that I want to mention is the listening lessons. It definitely gives a fun way to complete your topics about Serbian verbs, nouns, adjectives, or other phrases when you can hear what you’re learning.
Can Be Used By Advanced Learners
Most people feel that many apps with interactive lessons are only geared toward beginners. As I mentioned earlier, their pinned and difficult cards feature is very useful for advanced learners. Especially, if they are using the technique of speaking out loud the texts for memorization or even learning via authentic chats and dialogues. However, I did point out some features they’ve missed for advanced learners. More on that later.
Who Is OkyDoky For?
We’ve already discussed the best features in this OkyDoky review, so you’re still wondering about the pros and cons. Non-tech-savvy people, rejoice! The OkyDoky app is perfect for those who don’t like having many items open. You can just focus on the Study or Lessons tab, and that’s it—your 15 minutes of memorizing a new language is done.
On the other hand, tech-buff people will enjoy the minimalistic design of OkyDoky’s UI. It’s meant to be a beginner to advanced language app, after all. Moreover, if you’re just trying out a new flashcard memorization app like me, you’ll slowly see that OkyDoky has an easier navigation system with a not-so-steep learning curve than its competitors.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Leaderboard ranks to encourage competitive learners | Only has a five-day trial |
| Separate features for specific content | Their SRS (Spaced Repetition System) is not as polished as other apps |
| Longer words, phrases, and sentences to study | There’s a limit for lessons and growth for advanced language learners |
How Much Does OkyDoky Cost?
Should you go with free for now, or should you upgrade to premium right away? There are only four options for their price range.
Free Until Five Days
If you’re testing out courses from OkyDoky, they have a five-day trial for tough words and even help you develop unique goals.
Premium Membership Plans
In my opinion, OkyDoky has an affordable plus membership for those who want more flexibility and lower subscription costs than other similar apps like Duolingo, Memrise, or Mango Languages.
| Subscription Plan | Price | Billing Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year Membership Plan | $39.99/year | Charged Yearly |
| 1 Month Membership Plan | $14.99/month | Charged Monthly |
| Lifetime | $44.99 | Pay Once |
Why I Wanted To Use OkyDoky For Learning Serbian
Slavic languages like Serbian, Bosnian, and Slovenian have always been interesting to me. I think it’s a challenging language to pronounce but I like the way how it sounds. Serbian is very far from the language family of Filipino, so why not try it for once? It also will help me get connected with potential friends that I meet from Serbia. Maybe, for you, it’s the start of a relationship with a Serbian partner. Ultimately, it is just a personal choice for me to expand my love and knowledge of other country’s cultures and languages.
Why OkyDoky Is A Must Use App For Serbian Language
Just after learning for a few days with Serbian, I really felt like OkyDoky is a great app from start to finish. It is not like the other apps that I’ve used before because it feels like it’s similar to Drops or Anki, where the flashcards don’t feel like it’s placed there for no reason. Overall, I felt like OkyDoky helped me understand the word order better as well as the context of these Serbian words, even without the translation of some words.
View Your Lessons, Progress, And Achievements In One Single Tab
Are you one of those users who find it annoying to check every single tab about your recent activity? Through the Study Tab, you can see which words you’ve pinned, the current status of your lessons, and your achievement streak. You can even take a look at the Leaderboards in this tab, too.
Their Flashcards Contain Longer Words And Phrases
Choosing content for a language learning app is difficult. You will have to make sure that you are catering to all your audiences. For this OkyDoky review, I want to commend the app for at least trying its best to be not just a beginner’s app for a new language but also a supplementary app for advanced learners.
Their Practice Lessons Are More Real Life Conversations
Do you dislike the non-realistic conversations seen in most flashcard memorizing apps? If yes, then you will thank the developers of OkyDoky. As they’ve repeatedly mentioned in their tagline, language learning is made fun; you’ll not just feel the excitement of learning through baby steps. They have a great path for transitioning into intermediate and, ultimately, as an advanced student of your desired language.
Where OkyDoky May Improve
OkyDoky is by far an improved version of apps with vast courses that tackle practical sentences, non-Latin scripts, and even a deeper knowledge of the culture of the language you are learning. However, in this authentic OkyDoky review, I want to point out what amazing points the developer should not miss the next time they update their app.
Too Much Use Of Colorful AI Images
I know that this is not really related to how your language skills will improve. But, personally, I think too much use of colorful AI imagery kinda distracts me. I think just having a few images per topic or practice will already help my strategy in mnemonic devices.
It Doesn’t Have Unlimited Access For Introduction Lessons
Is it just me or are apps nowadays limiting a lot of introduction lessons access? There are many important topics for basic Serbian that need to be unlocked. Especially, Serbian has words that are similar to other languages like Croatian and Bosnian. For example, gde and gdje will sound the same and will have the same meaning (where in English) but have different spellings. This may be confusing if you want to make friends with people living in these three countries.
So, I wouldn’t recommend just using OkyDoky itself when learning further Serbian grammar.
Translation Isn’t Accurate
One thing I’ve noticed in their app is the inaccuracy of translations. This pertains to their Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, Chinese Traditional and Chinese Simplified, and other Baltic languages. This gap is perhaps the stumbling block for many advanced learners.
Should You Use OkyDoky For Your Language Learning?
I felt the need to write this app because many apps today still lack features suitable for intermediate and advanced language enthusiasts.
Similar to Ling, this app also has some Asian and Eastern European languages that are less taught among language enthusiasts themselves. However, what makes OkyDoky incomplete as of now is that most of their lessons are still inaccurate when it comes to phonetic and script writing. These are very important for languages like Thai, Chinese Traditional, and Japanese (Kanji).
With that said, the five-day free trial is already your turning point. Whether you like the app or not, you won’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get the key features of OkyDoky.
Language Learning Made Fun. Try The Ling App Now!
Was this OkyDoky review an eye-opening post for you?
Now that you’re on your journey for the road less traveled, you will need more detailed grammar guides and essential vocabulary for a memory boost. If you still feel that you need a much better app, then look no further. Ling is the leader in teaching hard-to-learn Asian and Eastern European languages, with a highly skilled team striving to give people the best language learning experience.
Want to gain unlimited access to languages like Serbian and similar languages? Try out the Ling app and see the difference.
Try the Ling app on the Play Store or App Store now!
