Use case
Practice English with strangers, free
Start here
Pick up to 5 interests (optional)
Text needs nothing. A voice call asks for your microphone only when you tap Call.
By HearMe Editorial · Published · Updated
Make your mistakes in front of someone you will never meet.
The hardest part of learning English is not grammar. It is speaking to a real person without the fear of being judged. HearMe removes the judge: you talk to a stranger who does not know your name, cannot see your face, and will never meet you. This page is a practical guide to using the site for English practice: which mode to use, when native speakers are awake, how to ask for the kind of help you want, and how to keep a good partner.
Why strangers are better than a class for speaking practice
In a class, everyone knows you, everyone hears your mistakes, and the teacher is grading. With a language-exchange app, you have a profile, a photo, and a reputation to protect. With a stranger on HearMe you have a nickname and a microphone. If a sentence comes out wrong, the cost is nothing. Tap Next, and the next person never heard it.
That is not a small thing. The people who improve fastest at spoken English are the ones who speak the most, and the ones who speak the most are the ones who stopped being afraid. Anonymity is the fastest route there.
It is also free, has no schedule, and works at 11pm on a phone. No tutor to book, no lesson to prepare, no camera to tidy the room for.
Voice or text for English practice
| You want to improve… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking and listening | Voice chat | A live call is the only thing that trains your mouth and your ear. No camera, so it is a phone call with a stranger. |
| Writing and reading, or confidence first | Text chat | Time to think before you answer. Good for beginners, or for a first conversation before you try voice. |
| Reading only, no pressure | A text room | Sit in a room and read what people are saying. Nobody expects a word from you. Type when you want to. |
| Group conversation | Rooms | A text room with everyone who is there. Drop a line into it, or just follow along. |
Most people should start with one text chat to warm up, then move to voice. The whisper box inside a voice call sends a short line of text the other person sees for ten seconds; use it to type a word you cannot pronounce yet.
When native speakers are online
HearMe is global, and the best English-practice partner is often someone in a country where it is evening while it is evening for you too, or at least daytime. Here is who is awake when, for the countries most learners come from.
| If you are in… | At your 9pm, native speakers are awake in… | And also fluent speakers in… |
|---|---|---|
| India or Pakistan | UK (afternoon), Australia (late night) | Philippines (evening), Indonesia (evening) |
| Indonesia or the Philippines | Australia (late evening), UK (early afternoon) | India (evening), each other |
| Brazil | USA and Canada (evening), UK (midnight) | Germany (early morning; use your afternoon instead) |
| Germany | UK (evening), USA (afternoon) | India and Pakistan (past midnight; use your afternoon instead) |
| USA or Canada | UK (small hours; use your afternoon), Australia (daytime) | Philippines (morning), India (early morning) |
The country filter in 1:1 chat aims the queue at one country; it comes with Premium, and free users match worldwide. The country pages have full time tables: India, the Philippines, the UK, Australia, the USA.
How to ask for the help you want
Say it in the first line. 'I am practising English, please correct me if I make mistakes' does three things: it tells the stranger why you are here, it gives them permission to correct you, and it lowers the stakes for both of you. Almost everyone responds well to it. If they do not, Next.
- Set the interest tag 'English' or 'languages' before you start. The matcher prefers people who picked the same tag, and many of them are learners or helpers.
- Ask for one kind of correction. 'Only correct my grammar' or 'tell me when a word sounds unnatural' gets useful help; 'correct everything' gets nothing.
- Repeat a corrected sentence back. It takes two seconds and it is the part that sticks.
- Keep a note of three words per call. Not a vocabulary list; three words you actually used wrong.
- Do not apologise for your English. Nobody on the other end minds, and the apology eats the time you could be speaking in.
Being a good partner if you are the fluent one
If you are a native or fluent speaker, you will be matched with learners often, especially in the Indian, Philippine and Brazilian evenings. It is one of the most useful things you can do with twenty minutes, and it is not a lesson. Talk normally, a little slower. Correct one thing at a time, and only if asked. Ask questions that need more than a yes. When they say 'sorry for my English', say 'your English is fine' and mean it, because it usually is.
Do not switch to their language to help. The point of the call is that they speak English. And do not let it become a tutorial: the best practice is a real conversation about football or your city, with corrections in the gaps.
Keeping a partner you liked
Some calls are worth repeating. If you both register a free account (email or Google, nothing else), you can send a friend request; once accepted you get a DM thread and can arrange a next call. Nicknames stay nicknames, so you do not give up anonymity to do it. A regular practice partner in a different time zone who corrects you once a week is worth more than any app, and it costs nothing.
There is no daily limit as a guest, so practise as much as you like. The free account is worth it for one thing: keeping the partners who were good.
What to talk about
Not the weather, unless you want to. The conversations that stretch your English are the ones you care about: explain your job to someone who has never heard of it; describe the last film you saw and why it was bad; argue about whether their country's food is better than yours. Disagreement is excellent practice, because you have to find the words fast.
If you freeze, use the shared-interest line at the top of the chat. If you both picked 'music', you have a topic. If you have nothing, ask them to describe where they are sitting right now. It works every time, and it is a real listening exercise.
Frequently asked questions
Can I practise English on HearMe for free?
Yes. Text and voice chat are free with no daily limit and no account.
Is there a camera?
No. HearMe never requests a camera. Voice calls are mic-only, so it is a phone call with a stranger.
How do I find native English speakers?
Use the country filter for the UK, USA, Canada or Australia in 1:1 chat, and pick the hour when they are awake; the table above and the country pages have the times.
Will strangers correct my English?
Most will if you ask in the first line. Say 'please correct me' and name the kind of correction you want.
I am a beginner. Should I start with voice?
Start with one or two text chats to warm up, then try voice. A text room lets you read real conversation before you speak to anyone.
Can I keep the same practice partner?
Yes. If you both register a free account, send a friend request; once accepted you get a DM thread to arrange the next call.
Is HearMe a language-exchange app?
No. It is an anonymous chat site that happens to be very good for speaking practice, because there is no profile, no camera and no reputation to protect.
From the blog
Ready when you are
No sign-up. No video. Free to start.