Name: LyricsGaps
URL: http://www.lyricsgaps.com

“Music is the doctor of my soul”. That’s what the Doobie Brothers once sang. And it’s something that is more or less carved in stone. Yet, music can take on other professional roles. Preeminently among them is the role of teacher. I mean, just look at the number of people who have learned English by listening to songs. OK, maybe the word “learn” is too much. Nobody becomes a fountain of knowledge by listening to songs by contemporary musicians. But there’s no denying that he will build up a more than respectable vocabulary, and revise his existing word lists that much easier.

Well, he certainly will as long as he has a site like this one at hand. LyricsGaps lets anybody pick up new words by listening to music. The idea is that people choose a language from the many that are offered (including English, Spanish, Italian and French) and pick new vocabulary up by completing blanks in the lyrics of songs in such languages.

What I like best is that these songs to be played are actually suggested by users. That is, people like you and me actually submit these exercises that others can sit through. Which is just perfect. I mean, the site would be unusable if the only way to learn Spanish were listening to songs by Miguel Bosé. Nor learn English by listening to (gulp) Bruno Mars.

Just anybody can submit exercises. Once three people have reviewed and confirmed them, then they will go live for all to use.