7 ways you can switch up your practice in the app right now

What is your favorite way to learn with Duolingo? Are you the kind of learner who is always seeking out Stories? The XP-obsessed leaderboard climber? Are you steadily moving down your course, unlocking chest after chest?

There are lots of different ways to practice your new language in your Duolingo course. Try these 7 lesson types to add some variety to your study plan!

1. Do a new lesson

Keep moving forward by doing a new lesson! You'll find a few kinds of new lessons: ones with brand new vocabulary and grammar, ones marked "Hard" that use words you've seen before in more challenging exercises, personalized practice tailored just for you, and Stories in our larger courses.
screenshot of the Duolingo Spanish course, a node in the path has been clicked on and there is a bubble that says 'Start +20XP'
2. Review a previous lesson

Decide what content you'd like to revisit with lesson review! When you click on a node you've already completed, do a quick review lesson to see the same vocabulary and grammar and strengthen your memory.
screenshot of the Duolingo Spanish course, an already-completed node has been clicked on and there is a bubble that shows two options: review to earn 5XP or do a Legendary lesson to earn 40XP
3. Show off your skills with Legendary Levels

You can also test yourself with Legendary Levels! When you've completed a node, select the Legendary option to do a lesson with more challenging exercises and no hints. Your XP reward will be worth it, and the node will turn gold afterwards!
Screenshot of the Duolingo Spanish course, all the nodes on the screen have been completed and one is gold, representing Legendary Level
4. Re-read your favorite Stories

Go to your Practice Hub by clicking on the dumbbell at the bottom of your screen—and there you'll find the Stories you've already completed! You can reminisce about our characters' (mis)adventures while earning XP.
Screenshot of the Practice Hub that shows several tabs of customized practice. One of these is the Stories tab
5. Practice to earn back hearts

If you make a mistake in a lesson, you'll lose a heart—but you can earn them back by clicking on the heart icon at the top of your screen! By doing a special practice lesson, you'll be working on the skills you'll need to keep making progress in new lessons.
Screenshot of the hearts tab, which shows that this user has 2 out of 5 hears left. There are three options: refill hearts for 350 gems, get unlimited hearts with a Super subscription, or practice to earn hearts
6. Challenge yourself with a Side Quest

When you're feeling the need for speed, try a Side Quest! You'll see three stars below each character along the path, and each of those is a timed lesson that you'll have to race through to complete. Can you make it in time??
Screenshot of the Duolingo Spanish course. Eddy is jumping rope next to the nodes in the path, and one of the three stars below him is gold, while the last two are gray.
7. Prove yourself with Match Madness

On your Leaderboards screen (look for the shield icon), you'll sometimes find Match Madness—another timed challenge where you'll match words from your own language with words in the new language as fast as you can!
Screenshot of the March Madness screen, which reads 'Match all the words before time runs out! This event ends in 1 day.' Stages 1 and 2 have been completed, and stage three is up next, where you can earn 30XP.

But wait, how do I earn more gems?

Some of the advanced challenges (like Legendary) require gems for free users (or lingots, if you’re using Duolingo on desktop). But there are plenty of ways to earn gems! For those using Duolingo on their phone, you can complete Daily Quests or a Friends Quest. You can also earn gems by reaching new achievements, which are long-term goals (like 100 mistake-free lessons) that live in your profile tab, or by reaching the top 3 in your weekly Leaderboard.

Free users can check the Shop (the gem at the top of the screen) to see if a “rewarded video” is available. If you catch one, you can watch it for even more gems!

Screenshot of the Shop in the Duolingo app, which shows information about the Super subscription and two chests: the early bird chest, for doing a lesson between 6am and noon, and a free chest that allows you to earn gems for watching an ad

All roads lead to learning!

With Duolingo, you can find the balance that's right for you, between pushing ahead with new content and reviewing what you want, when you want. We crafted your course using learning science, AI, and teaching expertise, and we've left lots of room for you to make your learning experience your own!