Mil Palavras vs Duolingo
Portuguese for life in Portugal. Not cartoon streaks.
Duolingo is built to keep you tapping for gems and watching ads. Mil Palavras is built so you can ask for the prescription, order the coffee, and handle Finanças without switching to English. European Portuguese only. No ads, ever.
Free. Email only.
The core difference
A daily streak. Or words you need today.
Mil Palavras starts with your life.
Look up the word at the pharmacy. Save it automatically. Practice it later. Build the sentence you want to say next.
- Translate what you need
- Practice your saved cards
- Build a natural sentence
Duolingo starts with its course.
Follow a lesson path. Earn rewards. Keep a streak. Its structure can make a little practice feel easy to repeat.
That habit has value. It is a different starting point from the Portuguese you need at the café or Finanças today.
Where Duolingo leads
Short lessons, playful rewards, and daily reminders make it approachable. For beginners who enjoy gamification, it can be a helpful way to build a casual habit.
Where it falls short for Portugal
- Different variety. Its Portuguese course uses Brazilian Portuguese, not the European variety you hear locally.
- Ads interrupt free practice. Paid plans remove them. Mil Palavras is free without ads.
- No personal lookup loop. A course does not turn the words you needed today into your own study cards.
Side by side
- Variant
- Mil PalavrasEuropean Portuguese onlyDuolingoBrazilian Portuguese
- Focus
- Mil PalavrasWords and sentences for daily life in PortugalDuolingoGuided lessons, streaks, and rewards
- Ads
- Mil PalavrasNo ads, everDuolingoAds on the free plan. Paid plans remove them.
- Lookups
- Mil PalavrasYour translations become cards to practiceDuolingoLesson vocabulary, not a personal lookup loop
- Scope
- Mil PalavrasTranslate, study, and build your own sentencesDuolingoA structured Portuguese course within a multilingual app
- Best for
- Mil PalavrasExpats navigating everyday life in PortugalDuolingoBeginners building a casual daily habit
Based on public information in October 2026. Duolingo free and paid plans. Spot something outdated? Tell us.
Questions
Can I use Mil Palavras alongside Duolingo?
Yes. Keep Duolingo if its daily habit works for you. Use Mil Palavras for European Portuguese and the words you encounter in Portugal.
Does Duolingo teach European Portuguese?
Its Portuguese course teaches Brazilian Portuguese. The varieties share a language, but pronunciation, everyday vocabulary, and some grammar differ. Mil Palavras focuses only on European Portuguese.
Is Brazilian Portuguese understood in Portugal?
Generally, yes. It is not a different language. Learning European Portuguese helps you recognize the pronunciation and everyday expressions you hear locally.
Is Mil Palavras free?
Yes. Try a free session. Continue with your email only. No credit card, no subscription fee, and no ads.
Does Duolingo always show ads?
The free plan includes ads. Paid Duolingo plans offer an ad-free experience. Mil Palavras has no ads, ever.
Will Mil Palavras prepare me for a Portuguese exam?
Mil Palavras focuses on everyday vocabulary and sentences, not exam preparation. It works well alongside Portuguese lessons. A dedicated exam path is not currently planned.
Make your next encounter a little easier.
The coffee. The prescription. The words you actually need.
FreeEmail onlyNo credit cardNo ads