Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Birdman of Alcatraz
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Birdman of Alcatraz in English?
Birdman of Alcatraz: 57.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 19.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,711.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 32.6% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 19.7% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 14.1% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
10.1% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
89.6% A1–A2 vocabulary; 4.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.6% 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
- canary (rare): 20 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Any con who'd steal canary eggs from another con is a dirty fink!
- warden (B1): 18 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: An official responsible for supervising a prison, park, or other place.
Subtitle example:
I don't think 30 days in the hole is gonna cool that jaybird off, Warden.
- go ahead (B1): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Well, go ahead, fly.
- penitentiary (rare): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
that you be remanded to the custody of the warden of Leavenworth penitentiary
- federal (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
from the federal penitentiary at McNeil Island, Washington, to The Big Top,
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Big Eyes: 19.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.6 percentage points less than Birdman of Alcatraz).
- Heavenly Creatures: 20.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.7 percentage points more than Birdman of Alcatraz).
- Molly s Game: 18.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.8 percentage points less than Birdman of Alcatraz).
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: