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New research from a January 2026 survey of 2,000 single Americans reveals the sexiest - and least sexy - U.S. regional accents. Commissioned by language learning platform Babbel and conducted via OnePoll, the study also ranks European accents and explores how accents and language influence dating behaviour, attraction and self-esteem. Southern American English is crowned the nation’s most attractive accent, while Appalachian English languishes at the bottom of the list.

Ever since J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis helped popularize “cellar door” as one of the most beautiful-sounding terms in the English language, writers, poets and linguists have hotly debated the all-important question: which words do people find most beautiful to hear? While meaning and cultural associations play a role, the sound of language itself has fascinated writers, linguists, and readers for centuries.

If someone today complained about “brabbling snollygosters”, you'd be forgiven for having no idea what they meant. But for early Americans, the phrase -  describing unscrupulous politicians arguing over trivial matters - would have been perfectly understandable. Despite the phrase being as relevant today as it was to early Americans, it is one of hundreds of distinctly American words and spellings that have become lost to time over the past 250 years. Until now.

Babbel’s new Group Plans are built on a simple truth: language learning sticks better when you can share it. In this Babbel Bytes interview, we speak with Anastassia Evlanova, Lead Product Manager for Web Growth and the project lead behind Group Plans. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the product thinking, the trade-offs, and what’s next as we explore more social ways to learn, without losing the clarity and structure that make Babbel effective.

The Spanish language and Latin American culture are undeniably a driving force in mainstream American culture, shaping music, film, publishing, education, and everyday conversation. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny became the first artist to take the stage with a set performed entirely in Spanish at the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026, new data highlights just how deeply Spanish has entered the cultural and linguistic mainstream.

As 2025 comes to a close, language-learning platform Babbel (www.babbel.com) has once again partnered with The Captioning Group (www.captioning.com) - North America’s premier real-time closed-captioning company - to unveil the top words of the year that newsreaders, politicians, and public figures have consistently struggled to pronounce. Now in its tenth year, this annual analysis highlights the words and names that left even seasoned professionals tongue-tied.

The infamous Puerto Rican Bad Bunny has taken the world by storm in recent years. As the first artist to receive a Grammy Album of the Year nomination for a fully Spanish-language album - Un Verano Sin Ti - and the first to perform in Spanish at the culturally ubiquitous Super Bowl, his success marks more than a personal milestone. It signals a broader cultural shift unfolding across the United States.

16% of Americans now engage in performative dating, taking up “attraction hobbies” - pursuits meant to make them appear more attractive One in three people spend over $500 a year on these hobbies, while one in three dedicate more than 200 hours annually - the equivalent of several months of part-time work Many attraction hobbies are an overinvestment, with more people investing time and money in hobbies others don’t find appealing.

New research from language-learning platform Babbel suggests that even as AI-powered translation tools become part of everyday travel, Americans — and Gen Z in particular — still see genuine value in learning a language themselves. The research found that 41% of Americans hope, when they go abroad, that people will speak enough English to get by, while another 20% expect people in foreign countries to speak English.

Digital language learning pioneer,Babbel, has today been named to the 2026 GSV 150, the annual ranking by Global Silicon Valley (GSV) of the 150 most transformational growth companies in digital learning and workforce skills. Presented by NU Advisory Partners at the ASU+GSV Summit, the 2026 list recognizes companies that are delivering innovation at scale and giving everyone the opportunity to participate in the future of learning.