Free English listening games
Short answer: English for Fun has five free listening games. Find It!, Audio Memory and Word Bubble Shooter train you to match spoken words with pictures. Simon Says trains listening to instructions. Sound Pairs trains the ear to tell similar sounds apart, such as think and sink. All are free, with no account and no ads.
The listening games
Find It!
Hear a word and tap the matching picture among 4 or 6. 130 objects in 10 categories.
Audio Memory
Tap a card to hear its word, remember where each one is, and match the pairs. 84 words in 7 groups. Needs an internet connection.
Word Bubble Shooter
Hear a word and shoot the right bubble. 32 words, with a picture mode for players who cannot read yet.
Simon Says
Listen to the instruction, do the action and tap its picture. 18 actions, with Easy and Tricky modes.
Sound Pairs
Hear one word and pick it from two that sound alike. 23 word pairs and 20 questions per game, with score and streak. Made for teenagers and adults, especially Vietnamese speakers.
A good order to play
- Start with Find It!: one word, one picture, with feedback after a wrong tap.
- Move to Audio Memory or Word Bubble Shooter for a faster, more demanding task.
- Add Simon Says for instructions and actions.
- If you already know the words, try Sound Pairs to hear the difference between similar sounds.
Why train listening on its own
Hearing a word clearly comes before saying it. In these games the sound always comes first and the picture or action confirms the meaning.
Sound Pairs is a different task: it uses minimal pairs, two words that differ by one sound. Hearing that difference is the first step toward saying it, and there is more on the minimal pairs practice page.
Related
- Building English listening skills at home
- Sounds that are easy to mix up
- 10 English games to play at home with preschoolers
Questions
Do the games need a microphone?
No. These are listening games: you hear and tap. No game in this group uses the microphone.
Which game is best for a complete beginner?
Find It!. It is the simplest: one spoken word, a few pictures, and a clear answer.
Is the voice recorded?
Yes. Every word and instruction is a recorded clip, the same voice across the games.
Which of these work offline?
All except Audio Memory work offline after the first visit. Audio Memory needs an internet connection.