Everything You Need to Know About Duolingo Golden Owls

Did you know that after completing all the skills in a Duolingo language tree, you earn a trophy? Yup, it’s called a Golden Owl! I’ve earned 2 Golden Owls so far: Italian from English and Italian from Spanish. I’ve also lost 1 Golden Owl and am VERY close to earning two more. So here’s EVERYTHING you need to know about Duolingo Golden Owls and how to get them!

What are Duolingo Golden Owls

Duolingo Golden Owls used to be small trophies that appeared at the bottom of your Duolingo language tree when you had finished every subject in the course.

Duolingo has since taken away our precious Golden Owls, however, thanks to the Duome we can still see which courses we have earned a Golden Owl in.

Here’s what the Owl used to look like when you scrolled to the end of the “tree” which is now the Path:

You also used to be able to see your Golden Owl on the desktop version and when you clicked on it, a little certification would appear congratulating you for finishing the course.

I don’t understand why Duolingo would take away the sense of accomplishment except for the fact that they might not want you to ever finish the Path so you have to use Duolingo forever!

How to Tell if You Have a Golden Owl on Duolingo

Now that you can’t see your Golden Owl on the Desktop version of Duolingo or the app, there’s only one way left: the Duome website.

On the Duome

The Duome (one of the many best-kept secrets of serious Duolingo users) also displays your Golden Owls. However, I’ve found that it sometimes displays Golden Owls in languages that I haven’t earned it in yet.

On my Duome profile (you can find yours by typing duome.eu/yourusernameonduolingo), it shows the language tree that I am currently working on.

I have earned my Golden Owl in Italian from English (Woohoo!! I’ve also earned my Golden Owl from Spanish to Italian!) so the Golden Owl shows up bright and shiny at the top!

At the bottom of the page, it shows all the Golden Owls that I’ve earned from English, HOWEVER, I haven’t earned my Golden Owl in Spanish or French.

When I change my language in the app to French or Spanish and refresh the Duomo, it shows accurately at the top that I don’t have my Golden Owl in those languages (however, I USED to have one in Spanish…but we’ll talk about that in a second).

At the bottom, it still shows that I have earned it.

You can check duome.eu/yourusernameonduolingo to see your Duolingo stats and if you have earned a Golden Owl.

Who Has Earned the Most Golden Owls on Duolingo?

Wondering who the best of the best is?? It’s definitely not me!! Duome delivers on that, too! You can find out who has the most Golden Owls on their website!

You can also see how many Golden Owls have been earned in each language across all users on Duolingo! You can see why crazy people like me nerd out over this site!

Can You Lose Your Golden Owl?

Yes, you can lose your Golden Owl! Don’t freak out though, this is actually a good thing in the end. Why? Because it means that Duolingo added more lessons to your language!

For example, I used to have a Golden Owl in my Spanish from English tree. However, since that is a very popular course in Duolingo, they have since added a handful more lessons that I haven’t gone back and completed yet.

All I need to do to get my Golden Owl back is to complete each of those new skills with at least 1 crown each.

The Difference Between A Golden Owl & A Golden Tree

A Golden Owl is when you complete at least 1 crown for each skill. In order to get a Golden Tree you will need to complete and earn all 5 crowns in every skill.

There is no extra trophy for doing this, but it’s a huge accomplishment! I’ve never gotten a Golden Tree, but I plan to for Italian, French, and Spanish.

The first goal when starting a language tree is to get your Golden Owl. After that, you should then aim to get all 5 crowns in each subject and get your Golden Tree.

Once you have your tree completely Golden, you will have to check on it to maintain it. When you haven’t practiced a skill in a while, the Gold skill will break and you will need to practice to repair it.

Another goal you can have after you get your Duolingo Golden Owl is to reach the elusive Level 25. If you don’t know what your Duolingo Level is, this post will help you figure it out.

It’s a huge motivating factor for me after I’ve already gotten my Golden Owl.

Is it Worth it to Work for a Golden Owl?

A lot of people will tell you that Duolingo is a waste of time, but I don’t agree with that! Of course, Duolingo shouldn’t be the only language resource you use (I’m a BIG FAN of Italki!!).

However, I think that people spend far too much time worrying about if something is effective and not enough time just LEARNING.

Aiming for a Golden Owl will get you out of your own way. Should I pay for a bunch of different courses? Do I need this expensive language book? Am I doing enough? Am I even learning?

Trust me, you are! Just set your goal and get going! (If you’re wondering what the best way to use Duolingo with your study plan is, check out this post!)

Getting your Golden Owl is definitely something to be proud of! I can tell you for a fact that it has improved my language skills and that the languages that I have Golden Owls in are the ones that I speak the best.

I’ve tried so many different ways to learn a language and the perfect recipe is always the same: Duolingo, iTalki, Netflix, and Music!

So stop worrying about if Duolingo is helping you or not and just put in the hours with your language, you won’t regret it!

If you have a Golden Owl, let me know what language and how many you have! (:

Read More About Duolingo:

• How to Create Your Own Duolingo Flashcards
• How to Attend a Duolingo Event
• Download a Free German Duolingo Vocab List Here!
• A Simple Duolingo Classroom Guide for Teachers
• 16 Ways to Make Duolingo More Difficult