What is Special English?

Launched in 1959, Special English is VOA's multimedia source of daily news and information for millions of English learners worldwide. Audio programs and captioned videos are written using vocabulary at the intermediate and upper-beginner level and are read one-third slower than regular VOA English. Online texts, MP3s and podcasts let people read, listen and learn American English and much more.

Some language teaching methods are dull and disconnected from real life. People soon forget what they learn, or focus on words and phrases without context. Special English maintains a loyal following among learners, teachers and educational publishers worldwide by using journalism to engage people's interests. Learners absorb American English through content drawn from world news, business, science, U.S. life, popular culture and other topics. People build their vocabulary, strengthen their speaking skills and improve their ability to communicate for work, school and everyday life.

Special English texts, MP3s and videos are in the public domain. You are allowed to reprint them for educational and commercial purposes, with credit to voaspecialenglish.com. VOA photos are also in the public domain. However, photos and video images from news agencies such as AP and Reuters are copyrighted, so you are not allowed to republish them.

High-resolution audio and video files can be downloaded for free through VOA Direct, an online service providing original multimedia content from Voice of America for publication across all platforms: online, mobile, print and broadcast. Access to VOA Direct requires user registration. If you have any questions about our policies, or to let us know that you plan to use our materials, write to special@voanews.com.

Special English programs are also broadcast on radio and satellite TV and posted at youtube.com/voalearningenglish, facebook.com/voalearningenglish and twitter.com/voalearnenglish.