Understand real German
at native speed -
through podcast dictation.
Free forever. 500+ learners improving their German every day.
German sounds logical.
Understanding it at full speed is another story.
You learned the grammar tables, memorized der/die/das, and aced your textbook exercises. Then a native speaker started talking and you caught maybe every third word. The problem is not your vocabulary - it is how your brain processes spoken German.
I lived in Berlin for a year and still could not follow fast conversations. After six weeks of daily dictation on WELE, something clicked - I started understanding my colleagues in meetings without mentally translating every word.
One simple method, backed by
100 years of research.(es funktioniert!)
Dictation has been a proven language teaching method for over a century. It works because it forces your brain to process every syllable - bridging the gap between reading German and hearing German.
Listen - the full clip
Pick a German podcast at your level: Deutsche Welle, Slow German, or Easy German. Listen to the full 3-8 minute segment to grasp the overall meaning.
Transcribe sentence by sentence
Replay short segments. Type exactly what you hear - every word, every article, every case ending. WELE compares your transcription to the original in real time.
Review - and understand
See which words you missed and why. WELE analyzes your errors, saves new vocabulary, and schedules spaced-repetition reviews using the FSRS algorithm.
Learners using dictation for 20 minutes daily over 8 weeks improved listening comprehension by an average of 42% compared to the passive-listening control group.
A tool refined over
1 year and 10,000 dictations.
Every button, every shortcut, every feedback loop has been tuned based on real learner behavior. Built for people who want to actually understand German - not just study it.
Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten vom 25. April
Everything you need to
truly improve.
Not just a place to listen - WELE is a complete ecosystem that supports you from your first dictation to understanding Tagesschau without subtitles.
Custom speed, smart hints, precise segmentation
0.5x for beginners · 1.25x when ready · keyboard shortcuts for every action · word-level hints when stuck · instant comparison with the original.
400+ podcasts from Deutsche Welle, Easy German, Slow German & more
New episodes added weekly. Every level, every interest.
Vocabulary review, the scientific way
The FSRS algorithm (same engine as Anki) calculates exactly when to review each word before you forget it.
Listen on the U-Bahn. Transcribe at the Cafe.
Fully responsive web app - works great on your phone, tablet, or laptop. No download needed.
Community of 500+ learners
Discord server and Reddit community always active.
Smart analytics
Personal dashboard tracking your progress over time.
Weekly challenges
Community leaderboard. 7-day, 30-day, and 100-day streaks.
500 learners can not be wrong -
here are some of their stories.you will want to start right away
“I spent two years on Duolingo German but still could not follow a Deutsche Welle broadcast. After 6 weeks of daily dictation on WELE, I understood my first Tagesschau segment. That feeling was incredible.
The compound words used to terrify me. Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung? Forget it. But after hearing these words broken down naturally in context over weeks of dictation, my brain learned to parse them automatically.
Cases were my nightmare. Der, den, dem - they all blurred together. Dictation forced me to actually hear the differences. My grammar improved as a side effect of better listening.
The FSRS vocabulary review is incredible for German. So many new words every podcast - the spaced repetition keeps them from slipping away.
I moved to Munich for work and needed to understand meetings fast. WELE was the only tool that targeted listening specifically. After 3 months, my colleagues stopped switching to English for me.
Started as a B1 learner who could barely follow Easy German. Now I comfortably listen to SWR2 Wissen podcasts about science and culture. The progress tracker kept me motivated through the hard weeks.
Free forever.
Premium only when you are ready.no tricks, no traps
No misleading "freemium" limits. The free plan has everything you need to build a daily dictation habit and improve. Premium adds AI tools and the full content library.
Everything you need to build a daily listening habit and make real progress.
- ✓Unlimited dictation on web
- ✓New podcasts added weekly (Deutsche Welle, Easy German, Slow German & more)
- ✓Personal dashboard & achievement tracking
- ✓Community challenges & leaderboard
- ✓Access to free courses
- ✓Community of 500+ German learners
Everything in Free, plus AI-powered tools and the full Premium library.
- ✓All Free features included
- ✓Mobile-friendly web app - practice on any devicePREMIUM
- ✓Smart Review FSRS - automatic vocabulary reviewAI
- ✓Language Logic - sentence structure analysisAI
- ✓AI Speaking 30 min/monthAI
- ✓Full Premium library (courses, playlists)
- ✓Create 5 custom podcasts / month
- ✓Private support group for members
- ✓Free access to all future features
Questions?
Here are the answers.
How does dictation help with German specifically?
+I already know some German. What level should I start at?
+How long until I can understand German podcasts?
+Does WELE help with German pronunciation?
+Is WELE really free?
+Can WELE help me prepare for Goethe or TestDaF exams?
+Can I use WELE on my phone?
+Can I cancel Premium anytime?
+Ready to start today?
3 minutes to sign up. One dictation to begin.
Every day you postpone is a day your brain does not get used to the rhythm and sounds of German. You have waited long enough.
Start free today