Sketchlingo: a Busuu alternative you play in a room with friends
Busuu gives you lessons and feedback from other people afterwards. Sketchlingo puts you in a live room with those people right now, drawing and guessing words against a timer.
What Busuu is
Busuu is a language-learning app with structured courses you work through on your own. It also has a community side, where learners submit written or spoken exercises and get corrections back from people who speak the language.
We describe Busuu plainly and do not claim to speak for it. Check their site for current features and prices. Sketchlingo is not affiliated with Busuu.
How Sketchlingo is different
- Sketchlingo has no lessons, no exercises, and no corrections. It is a game.
- Everyone is in the room at the same time. You see the drawing appear stroke by stroke and type as it goes.
- Vocabulary only — 124 words per language, across 7 languages, with the English meaning shown when the round ends.
- Free with no account. Quick games hold 4 players; your own room holds 2 to 24.
- Pro is $4.99 a month and adds your own room plus up to 200 of your own words. Everyone you invite plays free.
Who each one suits
Busuu suits you if you want a course to follow plus feedback on your own writing and speaking from people who speak the language.
Sketchlingo suits you if you want other people in the room right now, with nothing to complete first and nothing to pay.
What you get in Sketchlingo
- You play with other people in a live room. One player draws, everyone else types.
- 7 languages: Dutch, Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, Georgian.
- 124 words in every language. One word list, translated seven ways.
- Free with no account. Open the link, pick a name, play.
- Guesses are typed against a timer. A turn is 80 seconds by default. Fast guesses score up to 500 points.
- Every round ends with the word and its English meaning.
- Words nobody guessed come back in later rounds until everyone gets them.
- Georgian rooms accept typed romanizations, so you do not need a Georgian keyboard.
- Quick games hold 4 players. Your own room holds 2 to 24, over 1 to 10 rounds.
- Pro is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. It adds your own room and up to 200 of your own words. Everyone you invite plays free.
Questions
Does Sketchlingo correct my writing or speaking?
No. The only thing it checks is your guess — whether you typed the word for what is being drawn. There is no writing or speaking feedback.
Do I need other people to play?
Yes. The game needs at least 2 — one draws, the rest guess. Quick play matches you into an open game so you do not have to bring anyone.
What does it cost?
Nothing to play, and no account. Pro is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year for your own room and your own word list.
Try a round
Pick a language, press play, and you are in a game. No account, no install. Bring a friend or get matched into an open game.