Best apps for German vocabulary in 2026 (B1 and up)
An honest list of German vocabulary apps for intermediate learners: what each one is good at, and who should skip it.
Disclosure first: I built Worio, one of the apps on this list. I have tried to be fair to the others, and I say who should not use Worio.
This list is for intermediate learners. If you are at A1, start with a structured course. At B1 and above the problem changes: you know the grammar, but you meet more new words every day than you can keep.
Anki
A free, open-source flashcard app. The desktop version and the Android app (AnkiDroid, built by volunteers) are free, and the iPhone and iPad app is a one-time paid purchase. You build the cards or download shared decks, and Anki schedules when to show them again.
Best for: learners who want full control and do not mind building cards.
Skip if: making cards is the step where you always give up.
Wiktionary
Not an app, but a rich free source for German word structure: etymology, prefixes and suffixes, derived terms and inflection tables.
Best for: looking up how a word is built.
Skip if: you need review. Wiktionary has no review system, so pair it with something that does.
Language Reactor
A desktop browser extension (Chrome) that adds dual-language subtitles and a popup dictionary to Netflix and YouTube. Saving words and phrases while you watch is mainly a Pro feature (free users can save inside its PhrasePump feature), and saved items can be exported to Anki.
Best for: learners who pick up most new words from series and videos.
Skip if: most of your German comes from letters, work and conversations, not screens.
Vocabuo
A multi-language vocabulary app (German is one of six study languages) built on spaced-repetition flashcards. You tap unknown words in YouTube videos, web pages and ebooks to save them as cards, or study ready-made word lists from A1 to C1. It also has an AI tutor. Free to download, with a paid Premium tier.
Best for: learners who want one app for several languages, with words saved from videos, web pages and ebooks.
Skip if: you want each German word broken into prefix, root and suffix (its site does not list that).
Duolingo
Gamified, bite-sized lessons in a set course. Duolingo says its German course can now take most learners through B2, but the words come from the course, not from your own reading and conversations.
Best for: beginners and a daily habit.
Skip if: you are B1+ and need the words from your own life, not the course's next unit.
Worio (ours)
You type a bare German word, paste a text or scan a photo of a letter. Each word becomes a finished card: meaning, example sentences, the article for nouns, CEFR level and, when the word has parts, a breakdown into prefix, root and suffix with short English explanations. Then you practice with flashcards, multiple choice, cloze and interactive stories built from your saved words. Worio is on iOS and Android and free to start. Premium is an optional upgrade with monthly and yearly plans, and the pricing page shows the current prices.
More on the breakdown: how Worio shows the parts of a German word.
Best for: B1+ adults living in a German-speaking country who meet new words every day and want to see how a word is built.
Skip if: you are a beginner, or you want full control over card templates (use Anki).
How to choose
- You want control: Anki, with Wiktionary for word structure.
- You learn from shows: Language Reactor.
- You are starting out: Duolingo or a course.
- You want to type the word and get a finished card with its parts explained: Worio.
Weighing Anki against Worio? Read Worio vs Anki. For ways to stop making cards by hand, see automatic German flashcards.