Although I don’t ever think you should cheat at Duolingo since that defeats the purpose of using the app to learn a language, there are certain days when I am thinking more about the game instead of learning. So I’ve put together a list of the fastest ways to get XP on Duolingo so that you can “level up” faster!

And in case you want to make sure I know what I’m talking about, my stats from Duolingo show I have earned over 60,000 XP since I joined in 2016!

However, I haven’t done this while being consistent (I rarely have a streak on Duolingo).

But I do love learning languages and tend to binge Duolingo when I am in a language-learning craze.

I seriously would not be able to learn languages without italki (I’m taking 3 classes per week right now) try out a class and you’ll thank me later. They’re usually $9 or less!

And those crazes have taught me quite a few things about how to earn XP as fast as possible so that I can cram in as many new vocabulary words and grammar drills as possible.

Duolingo has rolled out major updates in 2024–2025, including the new Energy system and changes to XP boosts, daily quests, and challenges.

Here’s how you can maximize XP right now:

P.S. Did you know that with XP you go up in levels in Duolingo? The highest level you can get is 25! Go read my post on “things most people don’t know about Duolingo” to see where you can find out your level!

1. Master the New Energy System

One of the biggest changes Duolingo has made recently is phasing out the old “hearts” system and replacing it with energy. Every lesson you take now uses up energy, and mistakes can drain it even faster.

The good news is that energy isn’t completely fixed: you can regain it by answering multiple questions correctly in a row or by waiting for it to naturally recharge over time. For users with Super Duolingo, the premium version of the app, this limitation is essentially removed since they have unlimited energy.

For free users, though, pacing yourself is key. Instead of burning through all your lessons in one sitting, it’s better to spread them out so you don’t run out of energy too quickly.

2. Complete Daily Quests for Triple XP

Daily quests are now the backbone of Duolingo’s XP system. By finishing all three quests in a single day, you unlock a triple XP boost, which can make a huge difference in your progress.

However, there’s a catch: in many cases, this boost doesn’t activate immediately and instead carries over to the next day. That means you’ll want to plan ahead.

Save your hardest or most rewarding lessons, like Legendary levels, for when the boost is available so you can maximize the points you earn in a short amount of time.

3. Grind the Legendary Levels

If you’re serious about gaining XP quickly, Legendary levels are still one of the best options available. These lessons are more challenging than the regular ones, but they give a much higher payout in terms of points.

When combined with the triple XP boost, Legendary levels can send you flying up the leaderboard in no time. You can also repeat them for even more XP, which makes them a great option if you’re focused on competitive play.

4. Take Advantage of Timed Challenges

Duolingo also runs different timed challenges, such as Match Madness, which reward you with extra XP for finishing quickly.

These challenges don’t appear for everyone, since Duolingo frequently tests new features with only part of its user base, but if you do have access to them, they’re an excellent way to rack up points in a short amount of time.

Even just a few minutes in one of these challenges can give you the same amount of XP as multiple regular lessons.

5. Use the Desktop Version

Most users don’t even realize that there is a desktop version of Duolingo, which can be one of the fastest ways to get XP!

For those of you who are faster at typing on your computer, this means you can complete lessons WAY quicker than if you had to type on your phone!

It doesn’t always show right away, but after a few questions, you’ll see the “use keyboard” option so you can type the answers. I wish it would let me type my English answers as well, but currently, it only lets me type in French.

For me, this is a bonus as well since it helps me to practice spelling and make sure that I really know the grammar.

This is also how to hack Duolingo and get around paying for Duolingo Plus (which I think is a waste of money!)

If you’re super into language learning like me, or maybe just want to get into it, you should definitely check out this book on Amazon about how to stay fluent in a language over time without losing fluency!

6. If Available, Complete All Levels of Match Madness

In the League tab, you can find the Match Madness Challenge. It’s not always available and it will tell you how long it is going to be there.

You need 30 Gems for each level or to be a Super Duolingo subscriber to participate.

Each level you have a certain amount of time to match words to their translations, and you can choose to buy time boosts or row blasts (gets rid of one row of matches for the whole level) with gems to make sure you earn all your XP.

The reason why Match Madness earns you so much XP so fast is that you can do it as many times as you want until the Match is over.

Each level also gives you more XP than the last level. For example, level one earns you 40 XP, level 2 50 XP, and so on, until you get to the highest level. That’s when you can just keep repeating that level as much as you want and continue earning that number of XP each time you complete the level!

7. Go Back to Easier Lessons

If the lessons are getting harder or you just want to get more XP as fast as possible, head back to the top of your Duolingo path to start breezing through lessons again!

You can turn these lessons “Legendary” and earn 40 XP! Or you can review them and get 5XP (this number may change as Duolingo loves to change random stuff all the time).

Here’s what the old Duolingo looked like before the update:

Not only will this get you a ton of XP quickly, you will also be able to see just how much you have learned! Remember when those first lessons used to be hard?!

If you want to learn a language faster than ever, I also highly recommend reading Benny Lewis’s book on how to learn a language in JUST 3 months.

4. Choose Automated Answers Instead of Typing (When Possible) On the Mobile App

Sometimes Duolingo only gives you the option to type, but if you would rather have the word bubbles that you just have to put in order, pay attention to the bottom left corner when completing the lesson.

You may be able to change to the automated answers instead of typing, although, like I mentioned before, this isn’t always possible!

5. Click “Can’t Speak Now” or “Can’t Listen Now.”

Sometimes when I’m watching TV (or even if I have a really badly behaved kid when I’m teaching for VIPKID), I open up Duolingo and go to the easier lessons and just barely pay attention enough to get the answers right.

As you are completing a lesson, you’ll notice that when it asks you to “Speak” or “Listen” there is an option to choose “Can’t Speak Now” or “Can’t Listen Now.”

If you hit that button, that type of question will be turned off for an hour. You’ll have to choose that option for both speaking and listening when they come up.

Although the speaking and listening parts of a Duolingo lesson are usually super easy and quick, sometimes you are in a situation where you can’t do those things, but you still want to be learning and earning XP. So just turn them off!

They will turn back on in an hour, so it’s not a permanent thing, and you will be able to practice a lot more often!

6. Do Lessons in a Language that You Know Better

Speak more languages than just the language that you are currently learning on Duolingo? Head to that language to earn some XP fast before going back to your new language.

For example, I am currently learning French and Italian, but I am already fluent in Spanish.

So sometimes when I am low on health or just want to get as much XP as possible, I head to Spanish and complete lessons and stories there that are super easy for me!

You can even try switching from learning Spanish (or whatever language you’ve chosen) for English speakers to English for Spanish speakers!

This might not be easier in some cases, but give it a try! I talk more about how to do that in this post.

7. Test Out of Units

I don’t recommend doing this in a language that you are new in, but if you have been learning for a while and just are starting on Duolingo, or if you are already fluent in a language, this is a super-easy way to get XP quickly!

With the Duolingo Update, you now test out of Units by scrolling down on your Duolingo path until you see a button that says “Jump Here?”

Once you click on that, it will ask you if you want to jump to that Unit, and then you will take a test to see if you’re ready. When I took the test, it was allowing for 5 mistakes, but Duolingo is known to change this often.

To jump up one Unit from where I was earned me 50XP, so I tried to skip two units to see if it would give me more XP, but I was only rewarded 50XP.

So to get the most out of testing out of Units, make sure to do one at a time so you earn 50XP each time.

Also, these lessons are obviously going to be slightly longer and more difficult since you are skipping a whole level and earning a lot of XP at once.

This is what testing out used to look like, when you needed to use gems to buy the test (which is no longer required, so far):

8. Earn & Use XP Boosts

Although you can’t always predict when you’ll earn an XP Boost, if you get the notification that you’ve earned one, make sure to do as many lessons as you can in the time period that it gives you!

For example, after earning my daily XP goal, I was notified that for the next 30 minutes, all the XP I earned in lessons would be doubled.

However, about an hour later, I was offered an XP Boost after finishing a lesson, and that XP Boost was only for the next 15 minutes.

If you have your notifications on for Duolingo, it should let you know when the “Early Bird Reward” XP Boost opens up and you can use that to earn double the XP.

9. Check Your Special Offers Section

Duolingo is currently offering chests that you can open by completing lessons at certain times of the day. Although that is what is in my “Special Offers” section right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep adding and taking away different offers with time.

So if you’re trying to earn XP fast, you might want to get into the habit of checking that section before starting your lessons.

You can check your Special Offers section by clicking on your gems at the top of the app.

You can unlock a chest that contains a reward if you complete a lesson between 6 a.m. and noon (known as the Early Bird Chest) and if you complete a lesson between 6 p.m. and midnight (the Night Owl Chest).

10. Review Past Lessons

So far, with the new Duolingo Update, the path no longer breaks lessons, so you can restore them. Instead now you have the choice to review the lesson for 5 XP or turn it Legendary for 40 XP.

Duolingo may choose to add back the broken lessons in the future, but for now, they aren’t there!

Although reviewing past lessons only gets you 5XP, the lessons are super short and should be easy since they are old lessons.

Here’s what the app looked like before restoring lessons:

Now here are the options you are given in the new Duolingo Path:

11. Earn More XP with Super Duolingo

Unfortunately, a lot of the ways to earn XP super quickly have been taken away over time. You can’t complete Stories for 28XP on command anymore, no more Audio lessons, and certain XP challenges come and go.

Although I don’t recommend spending money on Duolingo, you can find a couple more ways to earn XP quickly if you have subscribed to Super Duolingo.

Even with all these extra ways, I really recommend saving your money for conversation lessons on iTalki instead of Super Duolingo. The added benefit of the subscription isn’t worth the price, in my opinion.

In the practice tab (with the weight emoji), you can find a few activities that are only available if you have Super Duolingo that can rack up the XP pretty quickly and without a ton of effort.

Perfect Pronunciation

You can earn 20XP by completing and reviewing a lesson that only contains speaking.

Mistakes Review

You can earn 20XP by reviewing your most recent mistakes.

Words

You can earn 10XP by matching vocabulary that you have learned in the Duolingo Path.

Stories

You can review one story for 20XP and then complete other stories for 5XP each.

Instead of including all Stories, you only have access to the ones that you have already completed in the Path.

For now, Duolingo stories are available for English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

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12. Do Ramp-Up Challenges in the League Tab

I haven’t seen a Ramp-Up Challenge in a while, so maybe they’ve been completely replaced by Match Madness, but in case they come back, here’s how you can use them to earn a ton of XP.

Read this post to find out how to earn even more XP using the Duolingo Ramp-Up Challenge.

All you need to do is go into your “League” tab (the one that looks like a shield) and check in the bottom right corner. If there is a purple lightning bolt, click on that!

That’s your ramp-up challenge! I think they do this to encourage people to get competitive in the leagues and help you to jump up in the ranks quickly.

Basically, it’s a super-easy way to get 40 XP in just one lesson and one of the best Duolingo points hacks there is!

Have a friend who loves learning languages? Or maybe want to make sure you get what you want? lol Here are 9 language gift ideas for your friend (or maybe to send to your mom!)

13. Buy Harder Lessons to Earn Double the XP

Every once in a while, you’ll start a lesson and Duolingo will give you the option to take a harder lesson and earn double the XP, but you’ll need to use your gems to buy this. Right now they cost 20 gems.

Well, I wish you luck on your quest to get as much XP as possible! Feel free to follow me on Duolingo at Dayna255732 or leave a comment with other ways that you have found to earn XP fast!

Of course, this is not meant at all to be a way at cheating Duolingo but just a few more ways to motivate yourself to learn a language even if it means you have to turn it into a game at times!

MORE ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING:

• The Perfect Study Plan for Duolingo
• Find Out Your Duolingo Language Level (It’s Not in the App!)
• How to Get 40XP Per Lesson With the Duolingo XP Ramp-Up Challenge
• Should You Upgrade to Duolingo Plus?
• The Ultimate Guide to Changing Your Duolingo Daily Goal