How to Learn English with Audiobooks by CEFR Level
By Dobi Apps · ← All guides
Audiobooks work best for learning English when the book matches your level. If the text is too hard, you stop understanding and start guessing. If it is too easy, you learn very little. The CEFR scale (A1 to C2) gives you a simple way to find the right level.
Step 1: Find your level
Take a free CEFR test or assess yourself against the level descriptions. The CEFR level guide on the Dobi Apps blog explains both methods.
| Level | What you can listen to comfortably |
|---|---|
| A1–A2 | Short, simple stories with everyday words, read slowly |
| B1–B2 | Graded novels and non-fiction with a clear storyline |
| C1–C2 | Unabridged books, interviews and fast natural speech |
Step 2: Check the 98% rule
A useful rule of thumb from research on comprehensible input: you should know about 98% of the words on a page. Read one page of the transcript. If more than 2 or 3 words in every 100 are new, go down a level. More on this in Comprehensible Input: Find Your Right English Level.
Step 3: Read while you listen
Listening and reading the same text at the same time links the sound of each word to its spelling. The Audiobook app highlights the transcript as the narrator reads, so you never lose your place. For the evidence, see Does Reading While Listening to Audiobooks Improve English?.
Step 4: Adjust the speed and then shadow
- Start a little slower than normal if you miss a lot of words, then speed up as you improve. See Does Audiobook Playback Speed Affect English Comprehension?
- Once a chapter feels easy, replay it and speak along with the narrator (shadowing). See Does Shadowing Audiobooks Improve English Pronunciation?
Step 5: Save and review words
Tap new words, save them, and review them over the following days instead of all at once. Spaced review is what makes vocabulary stick: How Spaced Repetition Builds English Vocabulary Retention.
Try it
Audiobook – English Audiobooks by Level has leveled A1–C2 audiobooks with a synced ebook, tap-to-translate and offline listening.