Is There a Duolingo for Dothraki? (And What to Use Instead)

Is There a Duolingo for Dothraki? (And What to Use Instead)

Quick Answer: No — Duolingo has never offered a Dothraki course. They host High Valyrian (the other Game of Thrones language by the same conlanger, David J. Peterson) but Dothraki was never added. The best alternatives are Tengwar (learningelvish.com — full Duolingo-style Dothraki lessons with an AI tutor), Living Language Dothraki by David J. Peterson (the official book + audio), wiki.dothraki.org (the free community-maintained reference), and the r/DothrakiLanguage subreddit for community practice.

If you searched Duolingo for Dothraki and came up empty, you're not alone. Dothraki has never launched on the platform, and there's no indication it will soon. Interestingly, Duolingo does offer High Valyrian — another language created by David J. Peterson for Game of Thrones — but the horse lords' language has been left out.

Here's what you can use instead, ranked by learning effectiveness.

Why Duolingo Doesn't Have Dothraki (But Has High Valyrian)

High Valyrian launched on Duolingo in 2017, backed by HBO as part of their promotional support for Game of Thrones Season 7. It was the first time a TV network had actively partnered with Duolingo to create a course for a show's fictional language.

Dothraki was presumably part of those discussions, but it wasn't included. The likely reasons are complex: perhaps the production timeline, perhaps licensing specifics, perhaps the decision to prioritize one language for the partnership. Regardless, Dothraki learners have been left to find their own resources.

The Best Alternatives

1. Tengwar — Best Structured Lessons

Tengwar offers grammar-focused Dothraki lessons alongside Elvish and Klingon. The structured approach ensures you learn why things work the way they do, not just memorize phrases. If you want to actually understand Dothraki, this is the right starting point.

2. David J. Peterson's Book — Best Deep Reference

The Language of the Dothraki (2014) is the authoritative text. Peterson explains:

• The complete grammar system
• Vocabulary and word formation principles
• His design decisions and their cultural logic
• Sample texts with analysis

This is the Dothraki equivalent of Marc Okrand's The Klingon Dictionary — essential for serious learners.

3. Living Language Dothraki Course

The Living Language course published alongside Peterson's book includes audio tracks and structured exercises. It's a more traditional language learning format with listening and repetition components that complement the grammar-heavy book.

4. Anki Flashcard Decks

The Anki shared deck library has community-built Dothraki vocabulary decks. These vary in quality, so check reviews and creation dates, but the best ones are well-maintained with hundreds of words and example sentences.

Anki's spaced repetition algorithm is particularly effective for vocabulary retention, making it a strong complement to any grammar-based course.

5. Reddit: r/DothrakiLanguage

The Dothraki subreddit is the most active online community for learners. It's a good place to:

• Ask grammar questions
• Verify translations
• Find resources others have discovered
• Practice writing in Dothraki

The community is smaller than the Klingon or Elvish communities but knowledgeable and welcoming.

6. Game of Thrones Episodes (Primary Audio Material)

There's no better listening practice than the source material. Watch Game of Thrones scenes with Dothraki dialogue — particularly Season 1 and Season 6 — using subtitles to follow along. Peterson's coaching is audible in the professional cast's delivery.

The Real Dothraki Options Compared

Because there is no Duolingo Dothraki course, the practical choice comes down to a handful of resources. Here is how the main three compare:

Platform	Format	Price	Best for
Tengwar	Gamified lessons + AI tutor, three languages in one app	Free tier, then $3.99/mo	A structured daily course that explains Peterson's grammar as you go
Dothraki Companion	Flashcard app co-created by David J. Peterson (~300 words)	$3.99 (iOS)	Cheap, portable vocabulary drilling — but static, not a course
dothraki.org / Living Language book	Community wiki plus Peterson's official textbook	Free wiki; ~$30 book	Deep grammar reference and canon lookups

Building a Complete Learning System

Here's a recommended approach:

1. Start: Tengwar structured lessons for grammar foundation
2. Vocabulary: Anki flashcard deck for daily review
3. Deep dive: Peterson's book for grammar details
4. Audio: Game of Thrones scenes for listening practice
5. Community: r/DothrakiLanguage for questions and practice

This combination covers everything Duolingo would provide — and considerably more. The grammar-forward approach also ensures you can construct new sentences rather than just recognizing learned phrases.

Start your structured Dothraki journey at learningelvish.com.

People Also Ask

Why would Duolingo add High Valyrian but not Dothraki? Two main factors. First, David J. Peterson was personally available to build the High Valyrian course on Duolingo's incubator platform — he made it happen, and his expertise made the course unusually high-quality. Second, High Valyrian's grammar is more "language-like" (case system, regular paradigms) and fits Duolingo's existing course-builder template. Dothraki's tighter focus on oral warrior culture is harder to gamify in Duolingo's sentence-translation format.

Is Dothraki harder to learn than High Valyrian? Generally easier. High Valyrian has 14 noun cases and a complex verb system; Dothraki has 5 cases and regular verb morphology. For an English speaker, Dothraki's phonology is also closer to Spanish/Italian than High Valyrian's. The catch: Dothraki has fewer learning resources, so the "easier language with fewer resources" can end up taking longer in practice.

Where can I hear native Dothraki spoken? The HBO Game of Thrones episodes are the primary native-speaker corpus — particularly Season 1 (heavy Drogo/khalasar dialogue) and Season 3 (Daenerys's Dothraki-language scenes). YouTube has full compilations of Dothraki-only dialogue with subtitles. Tengwar's beginner lesson uses Web Speech API audio with a Spanish-voice approximation for every word.

Will Duolingo ever add Dothraki? Officially unconfirmed. Duolingo's strategic direction since 2023 has shifted toward higher-revenue real-world languages (Spanish, French, Japanese) and Duolingo Max AI tutoring. Adding another low-engagement constructed language doesn't fit the current roadmap. Petitions exist but have not gained traction.

Is there a free Dothraki course online? Tengwar offers 5 free Dothraki lessons (no credit card, no expiration) at learningelvish.com. wiki.dothraki.org is a free community-built reference with grammar guides and a searchable dictionary. r/DothrakiLanguage runs informal weekly practice threads. The Klingon Language Institute model (paid membership for deeper resources) does not exist for Dothraki — David J. Peterson's Living Language Dothraki book (~$30 used) is the closest paid equivalent.

Can I learn Dothraki without watching Game of Thrones? Yes, easily. The language exists independently of the show as a fully-documented conlang. Living Language Dothraki (the book) teaches the language from scratch without requiring show familiarity. The cultural context (warrior horseback nomads) is sketched within the book itself.

Related Reading

• Duolingo for Dothraki: Real Alternatives That Actually Exist
• The Best App to Learn Dothraki in 2026 (I Tested Every Option)
• How to Learn Dothraki: The Complete 2026 Guide for Beginners

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Learn Dothraki with Tengwar

Tengwar offers free Dothraki lessons in a Duolingo-style format — the only mainstream platform teaching Dothraki, Elvish, and Klingon together. Start free →. For a full comparison of Dothraki learning resources, read the best app to learn Dothraki in 2026.