For anyone who freezes mid-sentence
Say it here first.
A private space to rehearse Japanese, Spanish, or English out loud before the real conversation happens. No judgment. No chatbot. Just you and a mic.
Zonlo is coming soon to the App Store. Join the waitlist and be first in when it lands. Read the founder's note ↓
How a conversation works
Teaches through conversations, not lessons.
Pick a real moment
Ordering coffee. Checking in at a hotel. Asking for directions. Twenty everyday scenarios in Japanese, Spanish, and English, from beginner to advanced.
Say it out loud
Try it from memory first; peeking is always allowed. Zonlo listens with on-device speech recognition, so your voice never leaves your phone.
Continue the conversation
Gentle feedback shows what worked first, then one small tweak. They reply, you answer again, exchange after exchange, until the conversation is done.
The conversation, right here
Watch one play out.
The café scenario, exactly as it unfolds in Zonlo. You speak first.
コーヒーを一つお願いします。
Kōhī o hitotsu onegai shimasu · One coffee, please.
かしこまりました。店内でお召し上がりですか？
Kashikomarimashita. Tennai de omeshiagari desu ka? · Of course. Will you be having it here?
Every scenario keeps going like this, reply after reply, until the conversation is done.
Audio never leaves your phone.
Zonlo uses on-device speech recognition. Only your words, as text, are checked. No ads, no tracking, nothing sold.
Why it works
Built for the moment your mind goes blank.
Hold whole conversations, reply after reply.
Every scenario continues past the first line, the way real conversations do.
Feedback that hears how polite you sounded.
Register-aware grading knows the difference between casual and です/ます.
Walk in calm. Stop freezing mid-sentence.
Rehearse the moment before it happens, as many times as you need.
Your first 5 scenarios stay free forever.
No ads, no streaks, no pressure. Zonlo is independent and private.
One line you'll rehearse on day one
コーヒーを一つお願いします。
Kōhī o hitotsu onegai shimasu · One coffee, please.
A note from the founder
Hey there,
I built Zonlo because I was tired of freezing up.
I studied Japanese for years, but the second I actually stepped into the country, my mind would go blank. I'd get stuck, panic, and completely freeze. It's incredibly frustrating to know the words in your head but fail to say them in the moment.
I wanted a tool that didn't just teach me vocabulary, but actually made real-world scenarios feel human again, rather than just another stressful test.
Zonlo is completely independent, ad-free, and private. It exists because people like us support it.
Thanks for being here, and let's finally beat the freeze.
Corbyn Ledbetter
Questions
Common questions about Zonlo
What is Zonlo?
Zonlo is a private space to rehearse a real conversation out loud before it happens, in Japanese, Spanish, or English. You pick a scenario, speak your reply, and get gentle, wins-first feedback. It is not a chatbot, an AI tutor persona, or a game.
Is Zonlo free?
Zonlo is free to start, with your first five scenarios per language free. Full access comes with Pro: $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year (which begins with a free week), or $99.99 once for lifetime access.
Which languages does Zonlo support?
Three validated packs: Japanese, Spanish, and English. Japanese replies are additionally checked for register (politeness levels) with a morphological analyzer.
Does Zonlo have streaks or a chatbot?
No. There are no streaks, XP, or leaderboards, and no AI persona or avatar to perform for, and feedback never shows a red error mark. It is built to stay calm for people who freeze when speaking.
Can I rehearse a specific conversation, like a job interview?
Yes. Rehearsing a specific real conversation is exactly what Zonlo is for. You speak your side, get feedback, and continue the exchange as many times as you need before the real thing.
Does my voice leave my phone?
No. Speech recognition runs on-device with Apple's recognizer; only the text of what you said is sent to be graded. Your audio never leaves your phone. See the accuracy page for how grading works.