Practice a language out loud
Ask DuckyHelper how do I say perro? and you get the word split into syllables with the stress marked, its IPA, and a button that says it, slowly too. Then tap the mic and say it yourself, and each word you said is scored. Eddy can read a story aloud while the words light up, and on a Mac, Ducky reads along on your own screen.
Hear it. Say it. See how it scored.
Ask how to say a word or a phrase, in the Mac pill or in Eddy, and a Say it card opens. Listen at normal speed or slowly, then tap the mic and say it. Each word gets its own score, so you know which one to practice again.
Syllables and stress
The word split up, with the stressed syllable marked.
IPA
The sounds written the way a dictionary writes them.
Slowly, too
A button says it, and another says it slowly.
Your turn
Tap the mic and say it. Each word is scored.
Follow along as it's read aloud.
Reading while you listen ties the sound of a word to the way it is written.
Eddy reads aloud
In Eddy's reader, press Listen: the story or article is read aloud and each word lights up as you hear it. Tap a word to pause and ask about it.
Read along on your Mac
Say read this paragraph with me, and the words light up on your own screen as Ducky reads them, or as you read them out loud.
Ask what it means
Ask about any word. On a Mac, a word card gives its meaning, like a dictionary.
Every accent where it belongs.
On a Mac, the typing coach puts a phrase in grey ghost letters at your cursor, accents and all, in whatever app you are writing in. Type over the letters; a wrong one is marked red so you can fix it.
Ask how to say it. Say it.
How a pronunciation practice goes.
- 1. Ask how to say it
How do I say perro? Ask it out loud.
- 2. Listen
At normal speed, then slowly, with the syllables and stress in front of you.
- 3. Say it
Tap the mic and say the word or the phrase.
- 4. See the score
Each word scored. Practice the one that needs it.
Say it, don't just read it.
Saying a word yourself and hearing how close you got does more for remembering it than reading it in a list. Pair it with flashcards and it comes back right before you would forget it. The learning science behind it: Quiz, don't re-read.
How to use it
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app to practice speaking a language out loud?
DuckyHelper has a Say it card for that. Ask how to say a word or phrase and it shows the syllables, the stress and the IPA, plays it normally and slowly, then lets you say it and scores each word. It works in the Eddy tab and in the pill of the Mac app.
How does the pronunciation score work?
After you tap the mic and say the word or phrase, each word you said gets its own score, so you can see which one was off. Listen to that word slowly, say it again and watch the score change.
Can Eddy read a story aloud to me?
Eddy's reader opens public-domain books and Wikipedia articles, and Listen reads them aloud with each word lighting up as you hear it. Tap any word to pause and ask what it means.
Can it help me type accents and special characters?
On a Mac, yes. The typing coach shows the phrase in grey ghost letters at your cursor, accents included, in any app. Type over them; a wrong letter is marked red so you can fix it. The typing coach has more.
Does it work on a Chromebook?
Not right now: DuckyHelper is a Mac app (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon). There is no Chromebook or web version. On a Mac, Say it and read aloud are in the Eddy tab, and reading along on your own screen and the typing coach work in any app.
More features
Say your first word
Open the Eddy tab, or press fn on your Mac, and ask how to say it.
