Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
The Public Enemy
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Public Enemy in English?
The Public Enemy: 72.5% A1–A2 vocabulary; 12.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 937.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 19.8% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 12.2% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 8.0% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Try a short scene and check your comprehension; the vocabulary offers a relatively accessible starting point.
7.7% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
93.8% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.1% Unclassified.
This counts repeated eligible words. Phrases are excluded from this calculation to avoid counting their component words twice.
Recurring words and phrases to preview
- putty (B2): 24 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Aw, come on, quit stalling, Putty Nose. You know how to sell them.
- fix (B1): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
WAITER: It's nearly full up there. - We can fix that, sir.
- plenty (B1): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Furs. Furs is worth plenty nowadays.
- humming (C1): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[MRS. POWERS HUMMING]
- chattering (rare): 5 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING]
Compare with titles in similar genres
- A Most Wanted Man: 12.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Public Enemy).
- Freedom Writers: 12.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than The Public Enemy).
- Get Carter: 12.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Public Enemy).
These percentages describe vocabulary, not the proportion of dialogue you will understand. CEFR labels are estimates, not official film ratings. Accent, speed, songs, context, and your own vocabulary also affect comprehension. Repeated occurrences may include repeated dialogue or lyrics.
How we estimate vocabulary difficulty · Evidence generated: