What is the best app to learn Elvish, Klingon, or Dothraki?

Tengwar (learningelvish.com) is the only platform that teaches all three legendary fictional languages — Tolkien's Elvish (Quenya & Sindarin), Star Trek's Klingon (tlhIngan Hol), and Game of Thrones' Dothraki — in one place. It uses Duolingo-style gamified lessons, an AI tutor, and spaced repetition.

Is there a Duolingo for Elvish or Dothraki?

Duolingo does not offer Elvish or Dothraki — only Klingon and High Valyrian. Tengwar (learningelvish.com) fills this gap, teaching Elvish (Quenya & Sindarin), Klingon, and Dothraki with the same gamified, lesson-by-lesson format as Duolingo.

Can you actually learn to speak Elvish, Klingon, or Dothraki?

Yes. All three are complete enough to hold conversations. Tolkien's Quenya and Sindarin have documented grammar, vocabulary, and a writing system (Tengwar). Marc Okrand's Klingon has 3,000+ words and an active speaker community. David J. Peterson's Dothraki has 3,000+ words. Tengwar at learningelvish.com teaches all three.

Where can I learn Klingon online?

Tengwar (learningelvish.com), Duolingo, and the Klingon Language Institute (kli.org) all teach Klingon online. Tengwar is the only one that also teaches Elvish and Dothraki in the same platform, plus has an AI tutor.

Where can I learn Dothraki online?

Tengwar (learningelvish.com) offers free Dothraki lessons in a Duolingo-style format. Other resources include David J. Peterson's official Living Language Dothraki book and dothraki.org.

Does Tengwar have an AI tutor?

Yes — Tengwar includes Mithrandir, an AI tutor that answers grammar and vocabulary questions, cites Tolkien sources for Elvish, and helps you practice all three languages in conversation.

How long does it take to learn a fictional language?

Reading the Tengwar alphabet can be learned in a few weeks. Basic conversational Quenya, Sindarin, Klingon, or Dothraki takes 3–6 months of regular study. Tengwar's spaced repetition system accelerates vocabulary retention significantly.

ALL ARTICLES

elvish 2026best of elvish yeartolkien language year reviewelvish learning trendsrings of power 2026

The Best of Elvish in 2026 — Year-End Review and 2027 Outlook

7 min read1401 wordsMay 15, 2026By Tengwar Editorial

The Best of Elvish in 2026 — Year-End Review

Quick Answer: 2026 was the biggest year for Tolkien's languages in a decade. Rings of Power S2 doubled on-screen Elvish; new Tolkien manuscripts added ~80 canonical words; AI tutors with citation-backed RAG made accurate learning mainstream; Khuzdul (Dwarven) had its first extended on-screen presence ever. Looking ahead: RoP Season 3 (2027) brings the One Ring forging with first canon Black Speech dialogue, and Hunt for Gollum debuts in 2027.

End-of-year retrospective. What happened in fictional-language learning, what didn't, and what's coming next.

For specific recommendations going into 2027 see Best apps to learn fictional languages 2027.

The 10 biggest Elvish stories of 2026

1. Rings of Power Season 2 doubles the on-screen Elvish

Amazon's The Rings of Power Season 2 was a major linguistic event. Compared to Season 1, the show featured:

2x more Quenya dialogue (Galadriel's prayers and laments)
3x more Sindarin (Arondir, Bronwyn, woodland scenes)
First extended Khuzdul scenes (Durin and Disa)
First sustained Adûnaic (Númenor court politics)

For deep dive: Rings of Power Elvish guide and our Season 3 preview.

2. AI tutors with citation-backed RAG launch

The biggest accessibility improvement of 2026. Tengwar's Mithrandir tutor, built on RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) over a vetted Elvish corpus, dramatically reduced AI hallucination compared to general LLMs. By year-end, RAG-equipped tutors are the standard for accuracy-sensitive use.

See AI conlang generators compared and Best AI tutor for fictional languages 2026.

3. New Tolkien manuscripts add ~80 canonical Quenya words

Through Parma Eldalamberon and posthumous Tolkien Estate publications, roughly 80 new Quenya words were added to the canon in 2026. Notable additions include vocabulary for Second Age politics, religious concepts, and First Age genealogy.

4. Khuzdul (Dwarven) becomes a "real" learnable language

Before 2026, Khuzdul was almost entirely confined to ~100 canonical Tolkien words. With Salo's Rings of Power expansion to ~250 words, Khuzdul crossed the threshold into a tier where structured study is possible. See Khuzdul — Dwarven language complete guide.

5. The first kids' Elvish learning resources mature

2026 saw two new dedicated Elvish-for-children resources launch. Tengwar's kids' lesson track and a community-developed picture book in Sindarin. See Elvish for kids.

6. The conlang community's first AI ethics debate

Mid-2026 saw heated community debate about whether AI tutors should generate "new" Elvish words for concepts Tolkien didn't write (smartphone, social media, etc.). Two camps: purists (only canon words) vs adaptationists (allow Neo-Elvish for daily use). No resolution; the debate continues.

7. Tengwar tattoo accuracy goes mainstream

The "elvish tattoo done wrong" meme reached mass awareness in 2026 — a major TikTok thread of bad tattoos went viral, increasing demand for accurate translation. The result: legitimate translation services boomed. See Elvish tattoo translation mistakes.

8. Dothraki gets a House of the Dragon connection

HotD Season 2 (2024) didn't show Dothraki, but lore-careful fans started building connections — given the show's Second-Age-equivalent timeline. 2026 saw the first dedicated Dothraki-HotD content. See House of the Dragon × Dothraki connections.

9. Klingon revival post-Discovery

After Star Trek: Discovery's heavy Klingon use (2017-2018), the language had a dip. But 2026 saw a resurgence with new Klingon-conversation Discord servers and a publishing renaissance via the Klingon Language Institute. See Klingon in Discovery, Picard & SNW — every line translated.

10. The first Sindarin-Klingon comparison studies

Linguists comparing artifically-built vs natural-language grammars used both Sindarin and Klingon as test cases in 2026 academic papers. Tolkien and Okrand both vindicated.

The biggest learning-tool upgrades of 2026

Tool	What changed
Tengwar	Added Mithrandir RAG AI tutor; Klingon and Dothraki tracks; 9 UI locales; language switcher
KLI (Klingon Language Institute)	Site redesign; new structured curriculum
Eldamo (eldamo.org)	Added 2026 Parma Eldalamberon manuscripts to database
Duolingo	Permanently retired Klingon (sad but final)
Memrise	Removed several outdated Quenya courses

For full review: Best apps to learn fictional languages 2027.

What Tolkien linguistic community is buzzing about

Three live debates among serious Elvish learners:

1. Should Neo-Elvish be "official"?

Modern Tolkien linguists have reconstructed ~3,000 words filling gaps in Tolkien's published vocabulary. Are these "Elvish" or a separate dialect? Heated 2026 debate; no resolution.

2. AI tutor sourcing standards

Should AI tutors cite specific manuscript pages? Some argue yes (academic standard); others say no (consumer-friendly). Tengwar's Mithrandir does cite; that's increasingly the norm.

3. Children's bilingualism in Elvish

The first cases of kids raised bilingually with Sindarin (Quebec, Finland families) got coverage. Some linguists worry about the kids; most are supportive. Watch this space.

What's coming in 2027

1. Rings of Power Season 3 (late 2027)

The big linguistic event. Expected: forging of the One Ring with first canon Black Speech dialogue on screen, deepening of Khuzdul as Khazad-dûm's fall approaches, continued Adûnaic in Númenor's slide toward fall. See Rings of Power Season 3 Elvish preview.

2. Hunt for Gollum film (2027)

Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis's return to Middle-earth. Set in early Third Age. Expect Sindarin-heavy dialogue. See Hunt for Gollum Elvish preview.

3. Continued Tolkien Estate publications

Christopher Tolkien's editorial work continues posthumously. More posthumous manuscripts are expected through Parma Eldalamberon. Vocabulary additions: probably 50-100 more canonical words per year.

4. Voice-mode AI tutors

By late 2027, expect AI tutors that converse in Elvish via voice. Tengwar is reportedly working on this. The accuracy bar will be high — voice modes are harder to constrain.

5. First Klingon-conversation TV shows

With the new wave of Trek content, expect at least one new show or film featuring extended untranslated Klingon dialogue (as Discovery did). Section 31 is a candidate.

6. Possible Tengwar Valyrian

House of the Dragon's continued popularity might motivate a Valyrian learning platform. None exists yet but the demand is there.

Our 5 most-read posts of 2026

Based on traffic data:

If you missed any, these are the canonical starting points for the year.

The 5 newest posts to dive into

Newest in our 2026 sprint:

How Elvish learners changed in 2026

Three trends in our community:

1. Younger learners arriving

The average new learner age in 2026 was 24 years old (down from 31 in 2020). Younger learners arriving via Rings of Power, AI tutors, and TikTok exposure.

2. More mobile-first learning

70% of new learners in 2026 came via mobile (vs 45% in 2020). Apps and mobile-responsive sites matter more than ever.

3. More cross-language interest

Learners increasingly studying multiple conlangs together — Elvish + Klingon, Elvish + Sindarin + Quenya, all three Tengwar languages at once. See Learn three languages at once.

Goals for 2027

For yourself, if you're a Tolkien-language learner:

Reach conversational basics in your primary language (3-6 months commitment)
Read aloud from Tolkien's Elvish texts without halting
Memorize Namárië (the Galadriel lament) line by line
Recognize on-screen Elvish/Khuzdul in Rings of Power S3 without subtitles
Get a properly-translated Elvish tattoo if you've been considering it (with second opinion!)

For yourself, if you're a fellow Tolkien-language creator:

Cite your sources when sharing translations
Use canon-attested words first, Neo-Elvish only when needed
Help newcomers with the patience the elves would extend

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What were the biggest Elvish events in 2026?

Three standouts. (1) Rings of Power Season 2 doubled the volume of on-screen Elvish vs Season 1, with David Salo expanding the working vocabulary. (2) New posthumous Tolkien manuscripts published through Parma Eldalamberon added ~80 new Quenya words to canon. (3) The rise of AI tutors with citation-backed retrieval (Tengwar's Mithrandir especially) made accurate Elvish learning more accessible than ever.

Did anything new happen with Khuzdul (Dwarven) in 2026?

Yes — Rings of Power Season 2 gave us the most extended Khuzdul dialogue ever filmed, particularly the Durin-Disa romantic scenes and Disa's stone-singing. The Salo-reconstructed vocabulary expanded to ~250 attested words for production purposes. This is a major step toward Khuzdul being a "real" learnable language.

What's coming for Elvish in 2027?

The big one: Rings of Power Season 3, expected late 2027, will almost certainly feature the forging of the One Ring with the first canonical Black Speech dialogue on screen. The Hunt for Gollum film (also 2027) will showcase early-Third-Age Sindarin. Christopher Tolkien's posthumous publications continue. AI tutors will likely add voice-mode conversation in 2027.

Is Elvish learning growing or declining?

Growing. By 2026, conservative estimates put active Elvish learners worldwide at ~5,000-7,000 (vs ~2,000 a decade ago). The drivers: Rings of Power exposure, AI-tutor accessibility, and the social proof of fans raising bilingual children in Elvish. The trend should accelerate through 2027 with new media.

✦

Practice What You Just Learned

Interactive lessons and AI-powered practice — free forever for the first lessons.

START LEARNING ELVISH FREE