Ellen Zhang Yarong
Builds Fluency Gym. Writes about how people actually learn languages — what the research says, and what it looks like when it fails in practice.
What I write about
- Why comprehension and speaking improve on different schedules
- What the retrieval-practice research actually shows
- How to place yourself on the CEFR scale without a test
Articles
- Free Active Recall Apps for Language Learners (2026)
- How Many Words Do You Need for Each CEFR Level?
- English Fluency for Non-Native Professionals: The Retrieval Gap
- Fluency Gym FAQ: Pricing, Languages, Method and Data
- Why Your French Stalls at B1 — and the Recall Habit That Fixes It
- German Fluency for Adults: What Actually Moves the Needle
- What Is Active Recall (and Why It Beats Rereading)
- CEFR Levels Explained: A1 to C2 in Plain English
- How to Actually Get Fluent in Spanish When Apps Stop Working
- Fluency Gym vs Anki: Which Builds Speaking Fluency Faster?
- Duolingo vs Fluency Gym: What Each One Actually Trains
- Quizlet vs Fluency Gym: Flashcards vs Retrieval Workouts