From the Beginning
Memrise was founded in 2010 in London, by Ed Cooke, Ben Whately and Greg Detre, three friends who met while studying neuroscience and psychology at Oxford.
They were united by a fascination with the way
humans learn and a determination to use technology to help people learn more effectively.
After graduation Ed got deep into the study of memory techniques. He became a Grandmaster of Memory. He won the US memory championships one year, and then trained a journalist to win them the very next year - a story chronicled by the journalist in the book, Moonwalking with Einstein.
They came back together a few years later, and combined their separate research to create Memrise.
The secret formula? A deep understanding of neuroscience and memory techniques, combined with engaging learning content created by linguistic experts and native speakers. Plus, we only teach practical, real-life language that you'll actually use. With this formula, Memrise speeds up and simplifies the language learning process.
FAQs
What makes Memrise different from other language learning apps?
Memrise is built around native-speaker videos, so you can hear how people actually speak in real situations, not how the textbooks teach it.
Instead of robotic voices you get to hear authentic accents so you can feel more confident understanding the locals in real life.
Whether you're preparing for an exam, getting ready to work in another language, or trying to connect with people when you travel - Memrise offers focused learning features to help you with your specific goal.
Trusted by over 80 million learners, Memrise is one of the most established language learning apps in the world.
How does learning with native speakers actually work?
Every lesson on Memrise is built around short videos of real people, rather than robotic voices.
When you encounter a new word or phrase, you see and hear it delivered by a native speaker.
This way you can listen to authentic accents and feel more confident understanding the locals in real life.
The videos are woven into Memrise's learning features and so you don't just watch them once, you immerse yourself in them until they are cemented into your memory.
Over time, this builds something that streaks and points can't: the ability to understand a real person when they talk to you, and the confidence to talk back.
Can Memrise help me prepare for a language exam?
Yes. Memrise has a dedicated learning product built specifically for exam preparation. You can prepare for IELTS, A-Level, GCSE, IB and CEFR-aligned exams.
The tool is trained on the exam board mark scheme and you can practice tests in each of the four skill areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Receive a test score and detailed feedback from an AI examiner on how you can improve.
Feel confident you'll get the grade you want before you do the real thing.
What languages does Memrise offer?
Memrise offers courses in 149 languages - including many that other language apps don't cover.
European Portuguese is one of the most popular (distinct from Brazilian Portuguese) as well as other less commonly offered languages such as Hausa, Icelandic, Igbo and many more!
With 80 million learners across 189 countries, Memrise has built one of the largest and most linguistically diverse learning communities in the world. If you're learning a new language, the chances are that Memrise has it.
Is Memrise just a flashcard app?
No - and that's probably the most common misconception about us.
Memrise started with vocabulary learning but the app has moved a long way from there. Today, Memrise is a multi-product app with distinct learning experiences built for different goals.
The vocabulary foundation is still there, but knowing words isn't the same as being able to use them, and that's where the rest of the app comes in. Practice pronouncing the words, having conversations with AI and watching native-speaker videos to further your learning.
How is Memrise built on science?
Memrise was founded by neuroscientists from Oxford and Princeton who wanted to build a language app on how memory actually works.
The core of that is spaced repetition: the research-backed principle that memories are strengthened most effectively when you review something at the right moment, just as you're about to forget it.
Memrise spaces your reviews at increasing intervals - hours, then days, then weeks - so what you learn moves into genuine long-term memory. The science behind this has decades of research behind it.
That's a fundamentally different design philosophy from apps built around daily streaks and point systems. Streaks measure how often you show up. Spaced repetition measures whether what you learned last month is still there.
The native-speaker video layer sits on top of that science deliberately. Human memory encodes information more reliably when it's attached to faces, voices, and context.
Can I use Memrise for work or professional development?
Yes.
Learning a language for work has a different shape from learning for a holiday or a hobby.
Memrise is tailored to help you learn for work. You can learn vocabulary relevant to working environments and then practice conversations with AI that puts you in real-life work scenarios.
Memrise also uses native-speaker videos that will help you understand your new colleague's accents with confidence.