If you’re trying to learn how to improve your English speaking skills, you’ve probably heard of ELSA, the AI-powered English-speaking coach. In this ELSA Speak review, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the popular pronunciation app to tell you how it performs and if it’s really worth the price.
English is a notoriously difficult language to learn, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s nothing in this world that you can not master with practice. Practice backed by determination always leads to success when you have the right tools to help you out.
Apps have made our lives easier, and these days, there’s an app for everything.
That goes for learning to speak English too.
ELSA is an app that markets itself as “the world’s best way to improve your English pronunciation.” It uses artificial intelligence to tailor lessons to your specific needs, and the results are said to be nothing short of amazing.
But does ELSA really live up to the hype?
Read our full ELSA Speak review below for all the info you need before you try this app.
What Is ELSA?
ELSA (stands for English Language Speech Assistant) is an AI-powered app designed to help improve your English speaking skills.
This app is a one-stop solution to learn, test, and improve the English language with real-time feedback.
Powered with deep learning and AI, this app has been built with a proprietary speech recognition technology that allows users to speak a sentence or word and obtain instant feedback. The feedback identifies errors in your pronunciation and provides tailor-made suggestions such as tongue movements and other tips to help improve your speech.
ELSA Features
ELSA claims to be ‘Best-in-class AI for English pronunciation and fluency assessment.’
Is this claim 100% true?
Read the following features below.
Speaking Assessment
An exceptional IELTS speaking score predictor generates a score based on your pronunciation level to give you a clear picture of your current standing. The predictor checks a wide range of elements while a user speaks. It checks for these things:
- Flow of the language
- Sentence structure
- Choice of vocabulary used
- Whether the word stress is natural or not
- Intonation
- Switch of topics. Is the progression organized and in a logical order?
All of these requirements test fluency in the bigger picture.
Press the record button, speak as you usually would and submit. A comprehensive report is released to provide appropriate feedback. The main idea is to focus on the qualitative aspect of the tone and accent. There is no need to panic if you initially receive a low score because that is what this app is for. Extensive regular practice on the app by following the tips and suggestions will yield impressive results. The score and practice are directly proportional. The more you practice, the higher the score will be.
Dictionary
I have tested this dictionary, and I can vouch for this cool feature. You can speak a phrase and check a score, or scan an image so that the image can be converted to text.
When you speak a phrase in English, it displays the exact phrase in your local language so that you know what it means. It also indicates your score in percentage. For example, if you say “bailout,” the app will analyze your pronunciation of the phrase and then show how well you said it. The result appears, “You sound xy% like a native speaker!”
The higher the score, the better it is. You can even tap on each word for detailed feedback.
Live Coach
In-person coaching can also be accessed to get expert guidance and achieve an optimal level of learning on every step.
One-to-one sessions are extremely useful to boost confidence and rectify mistakes. However, if you feel that you function well in a group setting with peers, group class is also available on all three levels: beginner’s group, intermediate group, and advanced group. These are all provided by the top coach. The lessons are 25 minutes long and cover the topics fully but do not rush, so the concepts are easy to grasp, which results in lifelong learning. One amazing part is that all group classes cost the same, irrespective of your chosen level. These classes have a fixed schedule, so this needs to be considered while booking a slot.
Most top coaches are from USA or Canada, but their accent is the same: American.
Track Your Daily Goal
You can cheat and not meet your regular goal, but ELSA will not let you escape. This smart technology has been planned carefully. It has a Fire icon on the right corner below, which shows how many minutes you’ve finished and how many are left.
Multiple Courses To Suit One’s Needs
Little did I know that this app which appeared to make you fluent in English, only has a lot more in store. It is safe to say that I am thoroughly impressed.
Course types have been divided into three categories.
- Pronunciation courses–It has topics covering low-hanging fruit skills, tricky English sounds, essential consonants, long and short sounds, tricky consonants, and open vowels. These lessons are in order, and you cannot unlock any level randomly. Each topic consists of 35 lessons to provide comprehensive practice.
- Speaking courses–This one has general and fun topics like self-introduction, family, food and drinks, entertainment, travel, education, relationship, beauty, wellbeing, business, environments, festive topics, everyday English, and many more.
- Certificate course–This one has IELTS Band preparations, starter edition, elementary and levels which go up to advanced level. They all include Oxford Business results.
How To Use ELSA: A Beginner’s Guide
It has multi-platform compatibility as it is available on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store and does not require much memory space to be installed.
It has an excellent, intuitive interface. A short description of the app is given, along with statistics showcasing how many people have found it helpful.
You are asked to choose your local language to personalize your learning journey. If your local language is not listed there, you can select “other” and specify.
The app then proceeds to ask about the purpose of practicing English. This allows it to align the topics according to one’s interests and goals. A student may choose ‘Education’ while a professional seeking to move abroad may choose ‘Live & Work Abroad.’ There are other options as well to cater to all the groups.
Enter your English current level a from the three options’ Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
In order to meet realistic targets, set a daily practice goal. It could be Casual practice (10 minutes per day), Medium practice (15 minutes per day), or serious practice (20 minutes per day).
One thing that impressed me is you can choose a time slot that suits your schedule the best. It has two benefits. An office worker is not bound to practice during work hours, so they can quickly go back home and practice comfortably. Other than this, setting a time helps act as a reminder not to miss practice. We have all been through that phase of elevated motivation in the initial days, which dies down eventually.
Once you’ve entered your personal details, you can begin learning from the comfort of your couch.
ELSA Pricing & Plans
So, how much does ELSA cost?
You can choose the Free Plan, which is a limited plan and excludes premium features that come with the paid subscription plan only. However, it is helpful if you’re looking to get familiar with the app and have a light practice.
Upgrading to a Pro Plan is your best bet for unleashing all of ELSA’s features and getting the best results. There are a few different pricing options for the Pro Plan:
- Monthly–$11.99/month
- Quarterly–$25.99 ($8.66/month)
- Yearly–$74.99 ($6.25/month)
A 7-day free trial is also available if you want to test the Pro plan first. There are no charges during this trial. However, you must cancel the subscription before the trial expires if you do not wish to continue with the Pro plan.
Final Thoughts
So, is ELSA worth it?
We definitely think so!
ELSA Speak is a very innovative app with well-designed interface, numerous lessons, and a revolutionary AI-powered coach that provides quality feedback and custom-tailored lessons to help you reach your goals. It’s the best way to learn English.
Click here to try ELSA free for 7 days.
Have any questions about our ELSA Speak review? Let us know by commenting below.
