English listening practice to train your ear by level
Free listening comprehension exercises: conversations, announcements, voicemails and talks in English, from A1 to C1. You listen first without reading, do the exercises (comprehension, true or false, ordering, real speech and dictation) and the text unlocks when you finish.
6 pieces
Travel & announcements
Services & shopping
Classes & study
Work & business
Talks & lectures
Frequently asked questions about practicing English listening
How do I practice English listening if I cannot understand what people say?
Listen first without reading anything, as many times as you need and at a slower speed if it helps. Then answer the questions and, when you finish, read the text while you listen again. That way you train your ear instead of reading what you already know. Start at a level where you get the general idea and move up gradually.
What exercises does each listening piece include?
Every audio comes with comprehension questions (main idea and details such as numbers, prices and times), true, false or not given statements, an exercise to put events in order, real speech questions (forms like "gonna" or "wanna" that do not sound the way they are written) when the audio has them, and a dictation with gaps.
Why is the text locked at the start?
Because if you read while you listen, you are practicing reading, not listening. The text unlocks when you finish every exercise in the piece, and then you can review it with each word highlighted as the audio plays and tap words to see what they mean.
Which listening level should I choose?
Pieces go from A1 (beginner) to C1 (advanced). If you are not sure of your level, take the free level test first. A good starting point is the level where you understand the general idea the first time but miss some details.
Are the voices in the audio real people?
No, the audio uses AI-generated voices with natural pauses and pace for each level. Accents, speed and background noise increase gradually from A1 to C1.
Do I need an account to practice?
No. You can do every exercise without an account. If you sign in, your progress is saved, it counts for your assignments if your teacher assigns you a piece, and you keep what you did when you change devices.
How to practice listening with these pieces
SpeakUP listening pieces are short English audios (conversations, announcements, voicemails and talks) to train your ear without reading. They go from A1 to C1, and accents, speed and background noise increase gradually. You can filter them by level, by category and by number of voices: one person, a dialogue or several voices at once.
Each piece works in order: first you listen without seeing the text, then you do the exercises (comprehension, true or false, ordering, real speech and dictation), and when you finish them all the text unlocks with each word highlighted as the audio plays. The audio uses AI-generated voices.
Step by step
Pick a piece at your level. A good starting point is the level where you understand the general idea but miss some details. If you do not know your level, take the free test.
Listen without reading. Press play and do not look at the text. Repeat it as often as you need and slow it down if it helps.
Do the exercises. Answer with what you heard. If you get one wrong, the explanation lets you listen to exactly the part where the answer was.
Read and listen again. When you finish, the text opens. Listen again following the highlighted words and notice what you missed.
Tips to progress faster
- Listen to one piece a day: your ear improves with consistency, not marathons.
- When you understand a piece at normal speed without repeating it, move up a level.
- Pay attention to real speech (gonna, wanna): it is the hardest part at first and the most helpful later.