Duolingo Norwegian Review: How Far Does It Take You?
Duolingo Norwegian is a good, free way to start: it builds a daily habit, teaches the core vocabulary and word order of Bokmål, and its full course runs to 7 sections and 246 units, ending around early B2. It isn't enough on its own if you need to speak Norwegian or follow Norwegians talking at normal speed. For that, add a tool that makes you produce whole sentences out loud and a lot of real listening.
We build Taalhammer, one of the apps we suggest adding, so weigh that part of the article accordingly. The facts about Duolingo below come from Duolingo's own pages and public course data, checked on 2 November 2026.
Contents
Duolingo Norwegian at a glance
| Duolingo Norwegian (as of November 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Which Norwegian | Bokmål, one of Norway's two written standards. No Nynorsk course |
| Taught from | English only. Duolingo's course list has no Norwegian course for speakers of other languages |
| Learners | About 1.62 million, per Duolingo's course list |
| Size | 7 sections, 246 units, 4,318 lessons (duolingodata.com, data from 6 September 2026) |
| Highest level | Section 7 is labelled B2; the course tops out at a Duolingo Score of 115, which Duolingo's own scale places at the end of early B2 |
| Price | The course is free. Super Duolingo is optional; the US App Store lists Super purchases from $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan |
| AI Video Call | Not listed for Norwegian in Duolingo's Video Call announcement |
Is Duolingo good for Norwegian?
Yes, as a first tool. The Norwegian course is one of Duolingo's biggest: with 246 units it's far larger than the "111 units" or "165 units" you'll still find quoted in older reviews and forum threads, so it has grown a lot in the last few years. It costs nothing, the lessons take a few minutes, and the streak keeps you coming back on days when you'd otherwise skip.
What it does well for Norwegian specifically:
- Word order. Norwegian puts the verb second ("I dag spiser jeg fisk"), and Duolingo drills that pattern hundreds of times until it stops feeling odd.
- Definite endings. "Et hus" and "huset" come up again and again, which is how you stop translating them in your head.
- Core vocabulary. The first four sections, about 130 units, cover the everyday words most beginners need.
- A habit. A free app that reminds you every day is a real asset in the first months, when most of the effort is just showing up.
Learners on r/norsk say much the same thing: a good start that you have to supplement.
How far does the Duolingo Norwegian course go?
Here is how the course is laid out today, from the unofficial tracker duolingodata.com, which records the CEFR label Duolingo shows on each section:
| Section | Units | CEFR label |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Intro |
| 2 | 30 | A1 |
| 3 | 30 | A1 |
| 4 | 60 | A2 |
| 5 | 50 | B1 |
| 6 | 50 | B1 |
| 7 | 17 | B2 |
Section 7 is the only B2 section, and it's the shortest. Duolingo explains its scale in its post on the Duolingo Score: 100 to 114 is early B2, 115 to 129 is high B2. The Norwegian course's maximum score is 115, so finishing it puts you right at the line between the two. That's further than the "A1 to A2" ceiling some summaries still claim, but the label describes what the exercises cover, not what you can do in a conversation.
How long does it take to finish Duolingo Norwegian?
There are 4,318 lessons. At five lessons a day, every day, that's about 860 days, or roughly two years and four months. At ten lessons a day it's still well over a year. Most people take longer, because review days and missed days add up.
Where does Duolingo Norwegian stop?
The course is built from short exercises such as translating, picking words and typing what you hear (the Life in Norway review describes the same mix). That trains recognition well. Three things it doesn't give you:
Speaking under pressure
Recognising "Kan du hjelpe meg?" is not the same as saying it when a stranger is waiting. Duolingo's most conversational feature, the AI Video Call, isn't on the list of courses in Duolingo's own announcement. So for Norwegian you're mostly tapping and typing, not producing whole sentences out loud.
Norwegian as people actually speak it
Duolingo teaches written Bokmål with a clear, steady voice. Norwegians speak dialects, fast, and the spoken form of a word often differs from the spelling ("jeg" sounds like "jæi" or "æ" depending on where you are). You need hours of real speech to bridge that gap, and a course built on short exercises can't give you those hours.
The Norwegian of your own life
The course is the same for everyone. If you're moving to Norway, you'll need the words in your work emails, the letter from the tax office or the message from your child's school. Duolingo doesn't let you add your own sentences to the course.
It also has fewer extras than the big courses: duolingodata lists no official Duolingo Stories for Norwegian. A community project, Duostories, has translated 48 of them, which is worth knowing if you like that format.
Can you learn Norwegian with Duolingo alone?
You can learn to read simple Norwegian, recognise a few thousand words and handle the grammar of short sentences. You probably won't be able to hold a conversation or follow the news. That isn't a flaw unique to Duolingo: no course of short exercises gives you enough speaking and listening time. The fix is to add both, ideally while you're still in the middle sections rather than after you finish.
What to add to Duolingo Norwegian
Pick by the gap you feel most.
| Gap | Add | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking whole sentences | Taalhammer, or a tutor | Paid (Taalhammer has a free daily limit) |
| Real listening | NRK radio and podcasts, Norwegian radio stations | Free |
| Looking words up properly | ordbokene.no, Bokmålsordboka and Nynorskordboka from Språkrådet and the University of Bergen | Free |
| Conversation | A tutor or a language exchange | Paid per lesson, or free |
| Your own flashcards | Anki | Free on desktop and Android |
Where Taalhammer fits
Taalhammer is built for the step after an app like Duolingo: producing Norwegian rather than recognising it.
- Whole sentences, from beginner to advanced. The Norwegian Core course (Core #1 to #6) takes Bokmål from A0 to C2 in about 12,700 sentences when you learn from English. You see the sentence in English, say it in Norwegian, then hear a native-speaker voice.
- Pronunciation scoring for Norwegian. Switch it on and you get a score for each word you say, so you know which sounds to fix. How it works: pronunciation assessment. Our Norwegian pronunciation guide covers the sounds English speakers get wrong.
- Norwegian radio. Language Radio plays 14 live Norwegian stations, so you can get hours of real speech while you cook or commute. How we pick the stations.
- Your own Norwegian. Paste any text, like an email from your landlord, and the Text analyzer turns it into sentences with translations and audio that join your reviews. There are also ready-made collections for newcomers, such as the first weeks with UDI, the police and the bank.
- Your Anki decks. If you've built Norwegian decks in Anki, you can import them (
.apkg, text export, CSV). Review history and media don't transfer. - Reviews on a schedule. Sentences come back before you forget them. Synapse, our review algorithm built on FSRS-6, in production since September 2026, is explained in this article.
Where Taalhammer is the wrong pick: it has no offline mode, it isn't gamified like Duolingo, and after the 7-day full trial the free version is limited to 10 learned and 10 listened items a day. Premium is €12.99 a month or €59 a year.
Other apps that teach Norwegian
Babbel, Memrise, Lingvist and LingQ all have Norwegian; Busuu doesn't (checked on their own sites, 31 October 2026). We compare all of them in the best apps to learn Norwegian. If you're curious how Duolingo and Taalhammer differ in general, not only for Norwegian, see Taalhammer vs Duolingo.
Duolingo Norwegian vs Taalhammer: which to use when?
| Duolingo Norwegian | Taalhammer Norwegian | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Super optional | 7-day full trial, then a small free daily limit or Premium |
| Highest level | Section 7, labelled B2 | Core #6, C2 |
| What you practise | Short exercises, mostly recognition | Saying whole sentences, with an opt-in per-word pronunciation score |
| Listening | Course audio | Course audio plus 14 live Norwegian radio stations |
| Your own content | No | Text analyzer, Anki import |
| Offline | Check your plan | No offline mode |
| Motivation | Streaks, leagues, gems | Daily reviews, no games |
A sensible split: Duolingo for the habit in the first months, then Taalhammer once you want to speak.
FAQ
Is Duolingo Norwegian Bokmål or Nynorsk?
Bokmål. Duolingo lists the course as "Norwegian (Bokmål)" and has no Nynorsk course. Taalhammer's Norwegian course teaches Bokmål too.
What is the Duolingo Norwegian level at the end of the course?
The last section is labelled B2, and the course's maximum Duolingo Score is 115, the end of early B2 on Duolingo's scale. That describes the material, not your speaking. Most learners who finish it can read far better than they can talk.
Is Duolingo Norwegian free?
Yes. The whole course is free. Super Duolingo is an optional paid subscription; on the US App Store it's listed from $9.99 to $119.99 depending on the plan, as of November 2026.
Can you learn Norwegian in another language than English on Duolingo?
No. Duolingo only offers Norwegian for English speakers. If you'd rather learn from another language, Taalhammer's Norwegian Core course is available from about 31 source languages.
Which app is best to learn Norwegian?
It depends on what you need. Duolingo is the best free start. For speaking and real listening, add a sentence-based app with audio, such as Taalhammer, plus a tutor if you can. The full comparison is in the best apps to learn Norwegian.