Check out these interesting short podcasts, all under 15 minutes, which include transcripts so you can easily check your English listening comprehension.

1. Strange Animals Podcast

These short fascinating podcasts are all about weird and wonderful animals. They’re a great way to learn about history and biology in a fun entertaining way while practicing your English listening skills. There are currently over 500 episodes, so there’s plenty of listening material available here. It’s a very fun, niche topic to delve into.

2. TED talks

A TED talk can change the way you think as you hone your listening skills. The TED talks website has the ability to search by duration, meaning you can choose whether you want 0-6 minute talks, 6-12 minute talks, or longer. To read the transcript, simply click the transcript button on the website and follow along. There are topics on almost anything you can think of, from self-help to politics, so there’s bound to be something that appeals to every English student.

3. History Pod

These short podcasts can be found on YouTube with the transcript in the description. They’re often only about 2 minutes long, so they’re the perfect way to study in a time crunch. History Pod focuses on unusual stories from the past.

4. Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave is one of the best short podcasts out there. Every listening is less than 15 minutes and features an interesting newsworthy tidbit about science, mysteries, or other attention grabbing headlines. The transcripts are available beneath the audio on the NPR website.

5. Science Quickly

Another science podcast, this one focuses on new and astounding stories. There’s also an emphasis on making this scientific news accessible to everyone, making it great for language learners. Just click on the story you want to hear. The transcript will be below it.

6. Planet Money

Another informative podcast from NPR, this one makes financial knowledge interesting by focusing on compelling stories. If you’re interested in finances, the market, or how the world works, then this podcast is a must-listen. Transcripts for Planet Money are found by clicking an article with a blue “Listen” button and when the article appears in a new page, you should click the word “Transcript” inside the new blue button. Transcripts aren’t always available for the very newest podcasts.

7. Self-improvement Daily

If you want to maximize your time and work on self-improvement and your English listening at the same time, then try this very short podcast (each episode is only 2-3 minutes). The transcripts are available by simply clicking on the episode.

If you want to challenge yourself further, try answering some comprehension and discussion questions about an English podcast, such as Short Podcast with Worksheet about Tattoos for English Listening Practice.