Is your reading comprehension better than your listening comprehension? You’re not alone! It’s frustrating to think that you should be able to understand more. And it can be difficult to find resources — like podcasts — that are entertaining, understandable, and convenient for your English listening practice.
Unfortunately, listening comprehension is a skill that simply takes time.
I learned this the hard way.
Boring memorization, I believed, was the only way to improve my target language. Why? Because that’s the traditional study advice. However, I didn’t need more flashcards. I also didn’t need more grammar exercises. Instead, I needed to spend more time listening to Italian.
That is where podcasts for listening practice come in!
At first, I was overwhelmed. But after I listened to several short episodes… I started to enjoy it.
Then, my comprehension improved.
Next, my speaking improved. As a result, I could have longer conversations.
Most importantly, I was motivated.
TIP: If you aren’t interested in a podcast topic… Then listen to a different podcast! The benefits of intensive vs. extensive reading work for listening practice, too. In order to get the most benefit, you need to listen a lot.
Therefore, I made a list of fun general podcasts for English listening practice:
7 Podcast Recommendations for Fun English Listening Practice
(1) Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd
Dax Shepherd is an actor who loves talking to people. (And he’s the husband of one of my favorite actors, Kristen Bell!) He loves talking so much that he started an interview podcast. Dax invites celebrities and other experts to answer his questions during an informal conversation.
The questions focus on the interviewees’ personal challenges, and we learn how they handled those situations. Experts and authors also explain their industries.
Listen to Armchair Expert if you want to hear natural conversations!
My favorite part of this podcast is the fact-checking segment.
What does this segment do? After the interview, Dax’s co-host does some research and looks into anything mentioned during their interview. Then, she tells Dax what she learned. During this part, any facts mentioned in the interview are discussed. Usually, the facts and stories are true. Sometimes, they’re partially incorrect.
Most importantly, the episodes are entertaining and educational.
Each episode is pretty long, but I think they’re worth the time!
My Favorite Episodes:
Practice These English Listening Skills:
- Listen to conversations between two or three people.
- They use a lot of informal slang and also talk at natural speeds.
- Additionally, some guests have different accents.
- Experts use specific, high-level vocabulary.
(2) Stuff You Should Know
This extremely popular podcast covers almost every subject imaginable. You’ll never run out of episodes because there is a new Stuff You Should Know episode every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Every episode features two hosts: Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.
You’ll never run out of entertainment! If you don’t like one episode topic, you can simply skip to the next one.
There are hour-long episodes as well as shorter, 15- to 20-minute episodes. The entertaining material covers historical events or people, science, culture, and common myths.
My Favorite Recent Episodes:
Practice These English Listening Skills:
- Listen to the same two hosts talk at natural speeds in every episode.
- They are also quite good at clearly pronouncing their words while using a mix of topic-specific vocabulary.
- Even complicated topics have simple explanations.
(3) NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour
If you’re interested in pop (or popular) American culture, this is definitely the podcast for you! Pop Culture Happy Hour covers movies, books, TV, and other entertaining content. So if you’re looking for topics that Americans talk about with each other, you’re in the right place.
If people are talking about a popular show or film online, you can probably hear about it here.
As the title says, the podcast is run by NPR, which is National Public Radio. It is a non-profit media organization known for being a reliable source of news… as well as entertaining — yet informational — content.
My Favorite Episodes:
- Hamilton is on Disney+
- In ‘On the Record,’ Black Women’s Voices Get a Needed Spotlight
- The Movies from the Year 2000
- ‘Birds of Prey’ Takes Flight
Practice These English Listening Skills:
- Listen to the multiple hosts having fast conversations.
- Most importantly, the hosts use a lot of American slang and informal grammar.
- Think of this podcast as expert-level listening practice.
TIP: If you want to understand casual/informal cultural references, use this conversational podcast to become an expert!
(4) Binge Mode Podcast
American Pop Culture, and the recent habit of binge-watching TV shows, is what inspired Binge Mode.
You’ll hear the hosts, Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion, talk about comics, TV, movies, books, and video games. Entire seasons offer deep dives (or close looks) into popular franchises. Those franchises include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars.
Sometimes, the hosts interview famous guests to learn about their work.
My Favorite Episodes:
Practice These English Listening Skills:
- Use this podcast, like Pop Culture Happy Hour, to learn about common slang and pop culture references.
- The conversations also move quite quickly, so it’s good for speed-listening practice.
(5) David Tennant Does a Podcast With…
If you’ve been listening to mostly American voices and you’re ready to branch out, one of my absolute favorite podcasts is David Tennant Does a Podcast With…
I, like many Americans, first saw David Tennant in both Doctor Who and Harry Potter (as Barty Crouch, Jr.). Recently, he has been in Good Omens, Broadchurch, and Jessica Jones.
His natural accent is a Scottish accent, even though he uses an English accent in many of his roles. This podcast is just about David Tennant interviewing famous actors, writers, comedians, and even politicians… Of course, he uses his native Scottish accent.
This is perfect conversation listening practice! The sound quality is also lovely.
My Favorite Episodes (besides All Of Them):
Practice These Listening Skills
- If you want to practice listening to different accents, this is the podcast for you!
- It’s especially good if you want to hear accents from the UK and Ireland.
(6) The Fluent Show
The Fluent Show is hosted by Kerstin Cable with Lindsay Williams as a frequent cohost. They’re two well-known names in the online language learning community!
I’ve been listening to this podcast for several years now… and I keep coming back because I always hear something valuable and motivational. This is another podcast that features different accents! I just love listening to diverse accents, which is one of the reasons — besides language learning — I started listening to The Fluent Show.
They have resource recommendations, interesting guest interviews, and study tips. The hosts and guests also talk about other language-related topics.
You can certainly find useful information here for studying any language — not only English. And if you need some feel-good motivation to boost your study energy, this should probably be your first choice of podcasts.
My Recent Favorite Episodes:
- 5 Ways to Set Your Language Goals for 2021
- How to Learn a Language Every Day
- Brilliant Tips for Remembering More Vocabulary
- The Best Books about Language Learning & Linguistics
(7) Chenelle’s Language Learning Journey Podcast
Chenelle and I are in several of the same language learning Facebook groups together. That’s how I found her podcast!
She regularly talks about her study tools and her consistency always inspires me! When I see how much she regularly learns, it motivates me to open my Italian books again.
Consequently, I enjoy listening to Chenelle’s Language Learning Journey. The podcast explains how Chenelle stays motivated and avoids burnout. (Hint: Know your “why!”)
The podcast focuses on her own journey as a language learner. Her mission is to talk about learning languages the visually impaired way. Episodes include reviews of language courses, interviews with polyglots, and other language topics.
Most importantly, the episodes offer motivation to keep studying.
My Favorite Episodes:
- How to Deal with Being Demotivated
- How to Deal with Burnout
- Comprehensible Input and Is It the Correct Method (This one explains why podcasts are so helpful!)
- A Conversation with MariPolyglot and Her Language Learning Journey the YouTube Way
Tell me in the comments below:
What is your favorite podcast? Do you use podcasts for English listening practice? If you don’t listen to podcasts, how do you practice comprehension?