The Falcon and the Snowman

How difficult is The Falcon and the Snowman in English?

The Falcon and the Snowman: 63.5% A1–A2 vocabulary; 14.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,467.

Unique vocabulary

• For A2 learners: 27.2% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
• For B1 learners: 14.7% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
• For B2 learners: 8.8% 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.

9.3% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.

Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences

91.1% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.7% 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

• expect (B1): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: To think something will happen or that someone will do something.

  Subtitle example: What protection can he expect? - Your client can't expect anything!

• embassy (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.

  Subtitle example: KGB. - This is an embassy. No KGB here.

• satellite (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.

  Subtitle example: The Black World is a codename for a family of covert surveillance satellites.

• security (B2): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.

  Subtitle example: He's Director of Security over at Strata Research.

• trust (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: To believe someone is honest or that something is reliable.

  Subtitle example: I don't trust any of them. I'm all alone.

Compare with titles in similar genres

• Veronica Guerin: 14.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Falcon and the Snowman).
• GoodFellas: 14.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Falcon and the Snowman).
• The Iceman: 14.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than The Falcon and the Snowman).

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: 2026-10-13