Are you bored of Facebook? Tired of Instagram? Don’t feel part of the Twitter generation? Perhaps what you’re looking for is TikTok. Currently one of the fastest growing apps with over 800 million active monthly users, TikTok is quickly becoming a platform for learning – and that includes English language learning too!

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media platform. Also known as a lip syncing app, it lets users create short, fifteen second videos, with music and captions. These videos are often funny, and go viral if shared multiple times. The app has been hugely popular with the younger audience thanks to the snappy content. But it’s also very inclusive, giving users the freedom to express themselves creatively, from all parts of the world.

Why is TikTok good for learning English?

Thanks to the hashtag EduTok, which started in India, TikTok is now also a platform for knowledge and education. As these videos are only fifteen seconds long, it’s all about micro-learning – using your phone as a mini classroom to learn what you want. This makes it excellent for short attention spans, or perfect for a quick scroll through your phone whilst on your lunch break.

TikTok videos are often multi-lingual. Many users create content in their first language as well as in English. One such example is Indian English teaching celebrity englishwithgeet, who creates videos for her 6.4 million followers in English, Hindi and Urdu.

TikTok is a fun resource for listening to natural speech and hearing accents. Not to mention the amount of snippets of grammar and vocabulary you can also find. Seriously, everyone is getting involved – check out this article about TikTok users who love correcting other people’s grammar. Turns out anyone on TikTok can be a teacher!

Social media platforms are fast becoming one of the best ways to learn a language, and TikTok is no different. The app offers you the power to comment on and share videos whilst interacting with other learners. So you’re getting the communication element too!

Top five TikTok accounts to learn English

Here are some of our favourite accounts to get you started on your TikiTok learning journey.

1. @letsspeakenglish

This is Robbie V, an English teacher living in Santander, whose mantra is “un poco de inglés útil para el día a día”. He creates daily videos for his fans in a combination of English and Spanish, covering everything from vocabulary to pronunciation to common expressions. Do you want to know what ‘ghosting’ means? Get on TikTok and follow Robbie.

Follow his account here

2. @enamoradalina

Meet Alina, she is a polyglot who speaks nine different languages! The majority of her content is in English, but she talks a lot about other nationalities and offers multiple translations of words. Alina also does a fun facts segment on countries from all over the world and throws in some grammar and common expressions too. If you’re looking for a multicultural experience, follow Alina!

Follow her account here

3. @marisolesquiveldlc

Marisol’s native tongue is Spanish, which means she understands the trials and tribulations of learning English. She uses her knowledge to do lots of pronunciation videos to help Spanish speakers with common errors. Do you know how to pronounce boys and voice so they sound different from each other? If the answer is no, get on TikTok and find Marisol now!

Follow her account here

4. @how_to_british

This TikTok star is not afraid of getting up close and personal with the camera. She is super expressive, using lots of colloquial language, so you’ll definitely learn a thing or two about British slang. British culture is also a big topic. And if you’re interested in an in-depth explanation of how British people cut their sandwiches, then definitely follow this account!

Follow her account here

5. @teacherluke

Teacher Luke is great if you want to learn American English. He makes lots of videos in context, like when he’s on the beach, at the fairground, or even in the forest. This makes it easy to pick up new vocabulary. He also does a fun post with over four million views on texting lingo. And some others on acronyms and abbreviations. Check out Luke if you want to hear an American accent!

Follow his account here

Do you use TikTok? Have you followed any other great TikTok accounts that help you learn English recently? Let us know in the comments.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Lip syncing (n): singing along to a song, but by only moving your lips, and producing no sound.

Go viral (v) : something on the internet becoming very popular, spreading from one person to another.

Snappy (adj) : immediately effective.

Scroll through (v): to move quickly through information on your phone with your thumb or finger.

Snippets (n) : short extracts or pieces of information.

Ghosting (n): a way of ending a relationship by suddenly stopping all communication with them.

Throw in (v) : to add.

Trials and Tribulations (exp) : problems and difficulties.

Slang (n): informal spoken language.

In-depth (adj): in detail.

Fairground (n) : a fair with attractions.

Key

n = noun

v = verb

adj = adjective

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