ESL About (formerly esl.about.com) Review: Free ESL Articles Hub
ESL About was a free ESL/EFL article hub covering grammar, vocabulary, reading, pronunciation, business English, and major English exams. Here's what it offered, what worked for teachers, and where to find current alternatives now that the domain is retired.Ready to try ESL About?
"Wide-ranging article library covering 6 skill areas plus 4 major English exams — one of the largest free ESL reference hubs on the web."
Best for
ESL teachers and self-study students who want free reference articles on grammar, vocabulary, and exam prep (TOEFL, IELTS, FCE, TOEIC).
Pricing
Free
Pro tip — heads up before you bookmark it
Domain no longer resolves
esl.about.com has been retired. The content was migrated to ThoughtCo under Dotdash Meredith. Use the Internet Archive or ThoughtCo for historical access, or pick an actively maintained alternative below.
What was ESL About?
ESL About was the dedicated English-as-a-Second-Language channel of About.com, one of the original large-scale online reference networks. It hosted hundreds of free articles written by certified ESL educators, organized around six core skill areas:
- Pronunciation & Conversation — IPA basics, common pronunciation errors, intonation patterns
- Vocabulary — topic-based word lists (body, business, academic), high-frequency word lists, idioms
- Writing Skills — essay structure for TOEFL/iELTS, common writing mistakes
- Reading Comprehension — inference, skimming, scanning strategies
- Grammar — tenses, countable/uncountable nouns, conditionals, modal verbs
- Business English — email phrasing, meeting language, presentation openers
The site also had a dedicated exam-prep section covering TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, and Cambridge FCE, with study guides, score explanations, and practice prompts. Many articles were written or translated with Spanish-speaking learners in mind (e.g. "Inglés Básico" series).
About.com rebranded to ThoughtCo in 2017 under Dotdash Meredith, and the standalone esl.about.com subdomain was eventually retired. As of 2025-2026, the domain no longer resolves — DNS lookups fail.
How teachers used it
When it was active, ESL About worked best for these specific things:
- Self-study reading: students read one article per class and discuss. Articles are short (800-1,500 words) and self-contained.
- Exam-prep homework: articles on TOEFL essay structure, IELTS common mistakes, FCE study resources — usable as required reading.
- Vocabulary lists: "600 most important nouns", "50 most common words" — printable and reusable across levels.
- Spanish-speaking learners: the "Inglés Básico" series is one of the few free reference sets with explicit Spanish-language explanations.
- Background reading for substitute plans: short, well-written articles that keep students engaged without needing a teacher.
Is it worth your time?
It depends on what you mean by "use it." The historical content is still valuable — the Internet Archive has full snapshots. But the live domain is dead, and there's no signal it will return.
For current-day teachers, the practical question is: do I send students to esl.about.com or to its replacement at ThoughtCo? Answer: go to ThoughtCo if you want the migrated content, or pick one of the alternatives below if you want something actively maintained.
The article library's strength was breadth — covering all four skills plus four major exams in one place. That's harder to replicate on a single modern site, so even the ThoughtCo migration is worth bookmarking for reference, even if it's no longer the focused ESL hub it once was.
Honest recommendation: treat this as a historical review. The page exists for SEO and to help teachers who remember the old hub. For current teaching resources, start with one of the alternatives — British Council, ESL Brains, or AgendaWeb.
The honest pros and cons
What works
- Completely free, no signup No email, no account. Articles are open to all.
- Wide skill coverage Six skill areas plus four major exams in one hub.
- Written by ESL educators Articles reviewed by certified teachers, not auto-generated.
- Spanish-speaking content Inglés Básico series with explicit Spanish explanations.
- Printable article format Short, self-contained pieces work as handouts.
- Vocabulary lists Curated word lists (600 nouns, 50 common words) reusable across levels.
What doesn't
- Domain is dead esl.about.com no longer resolves. Content migrated to ThoughtCo.
- No interactive exercises Reading only — no quizzes, audio drills, or self-tests.
- No progress tracking Nothing logs what students have read or completed.
- Limited speaking practice No conversation prompts or role-play activities.
- Dated content Some articles pre-date 2017 and reference older exam formats.
- Ad-heavy on successor ThoughtCo loads heavy ad tracking and popups.
Best alternatives
If ESL About isn't a fit, these are the resources teachers actually switch to:
British Council Learn English
Free, polished activities. Strong on listening, grammar, and exam prep.
EnglishClub
Free reference grammar, vocabulary, and idiom guides with quizzes.
AgendaWeb
Hundreds of free printable ESL worksheets and grammar guides.
ESL Brains
Lesson plans built around TED talks and authentic videos.
Teach-This.com
3,000+ printable ESL worksheets, CEFR-aligned, updated monthly.
Frequently asked questions
What was ESL About?
Is esl.about.com still working in 2025-2026?
Where can I find the content now?
Is ESL About good for teachers?
What levels does it cover?
Can students use it independently?
What are the best alternatives?
Looking for actively maintained ESL articles and activities?
ESL About is now part of ThoughtCo. For current teaching resources, start with British Council (free) or Teach-This (paid, structured) — both are updated monthly.
Visit ThoughtCo ESL section