12 Useful Websites for Learning and Teaching English
The most useful resource is the one that helps you practise something specific. These twelve websites cover listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and classroom activities. Choose one or two that fit your current goal, rather than trying to use everything at once.
The examples below are suggestions for your own practice or lessons. Website links open in a new tab.
General English learning
1. British Council LearnEnglish
British Council LearnEnglish (opens in a new tab) offers listening, reading, video, grammar and vocabulary resources. Best for: students, with useful material for teachers to recommend. Choose an activity suited to your level and skill. For example, complete a listening exercise, then summarise the recording aloud and reuse two expressions from it in sentences about your own life.
2. Cambridge English
Cambridge English (opens in a new tab) provides practice activities organised by skill and level, alongside exam preparation resources. Best for: students and teachers. It is useful when you want a focused task rather than a long study session. Try a short vocabulary activity, then explain your choices to a partner and write a fresh example using each unfamiliar word.
3. BBC Learning English
BBC Learning English (opens in a new tab) includes programmes such as 6 Minute English, alongside material on vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Best for: students, and teachers looking for discussion prompts. Listen to one short episode, note three useful expressions and give a spoken summary. Then discuss the topic without trying to repeat the presenters word for word.
Vocabulary, reading and pronunciation
4. Rewordify
Rewordify (opens in a new tab) simplifies difficult English vocabulary in text, helping readers approach material that would otherwise feel overwhelming. Best for: students and teachers. Paste a short passage you are allowed to share, compare the original wording with the simpler version and choose three words to learn. Return to the original passage afterwards to check whether it now feels clearer.
5. Related Words
Related Words (opens in a new tab) helps you explore words associated with a topic. Best for: students and teachers, especially when preparing for speaking or writing. Search for a topic such as travel, select five useful words and build a short story around them. Treat the results as ideas to investigate: related words are not necessarily synonyms or interchangeable expressions.
6. YouGlish
YouGlish (opens in a new tab) finds words and phrases in real-world video clips, so you can hear pronunciation in context. Best for: students and teachers. Search for a phrase you find difficult, select the UK option if you want British examples, and listen to several speakers. Repeat one short sentence, paying attention to stress and rhythm as well as individual sounds.
Grammar and exercises
7. All Things Grammar
All Things Grammar (opens in a new tab) brings together grammar worksheets, quizzes and activities organised around particular language points. Best for: teachers and students who want focused revision. Choose a worksheet on a topic you have recently studied, complete a small section and explain the rule behind your answers. Then turn three example sentences into questions for a short conversation.
8. English Exercises
English Exercises (opens in a new tab) offers interactive grammar and vocabulary practice, with topics and level filters to help you find a suitable task. Best for: students and teachers. Pick one area, such as the present perfect, and complete a short set of questions. Afterwards, write three true sentences about your own experiences to connect the exercise with meaningful communication.
Teaching resources and classroom activities
9. British Council TeachingEnglish
British Council TeachingEnglish (opens in a new tab) provides lesson plans, classroom activities and professional development material. Best for: teachers. It is a useful starting point when planning around a skill or topic. Choose a lesson plan for the age group you teach, adapt its examples to your learners and finish with a brief task that shows what they can now do.
10. Wordwall
Wordwall (opens in a new tab) lets teachers create interactive activities using formats such as quizzes, matching tasks and group sorting, and browse teacher-made resources. Best for: teachers, with activities for students to complete. For example, make a matching task with eight expressions from a lesson. After matching them, ask learners to use each expression in a short exchange rather than stopping at recognition.
11. LearnHip
LearnHip (opens in a new tab) offers interactive activities and teaching tools, including scrambled sentences, card sets, cloze texts and online board games. Best for: teachers and students working together. Create a small set of conversation cards linked to a recent topic. Ask each learner to answer a card, then invite a partner to ask a follow-up question using vocabulary from the lesson.
12. CrossIdiomas
CrossIdiomas (opens in a new tab) is an idiom reference with entries covering meanings, origins and usage across languages, including English. Best for: students and teachers. It can supply material for a classroom activity rather than a complete lesson. Choose an English idiom, read its explanation and write a short dialogue that makes its meaning clear without translating it word for word.
Turn a useful website into a useful habit
Start with one goal: understanding a short recording, remembering a phrase or using a grammar pattern in conversation. Spend ten focused minutes on a resource, then produce something of your own — a summary, a question or a short exchange. Teachers can use the same principle: let the website support a clear learning aim, and leave time for learners to use the language themselves.