Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Drugstore Cowboy
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Drugstore Cowboy in English?
Drugstore Cowboy: 64.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 16.0% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,149.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 25.1% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 16.0% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 11.2% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
10.5% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
91.5% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 3.4% 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
- hell (C1): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: A place of suffering in some religious beliefs; also used informally to express anger or surprise.
Subtitle example:
Hell, I can't figure it out.
- hex (C1): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
And all that crap about hexes. You don't believe that stuff, do you?
- methadone (rare): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Gettin' in the 21-day methadone programme.
- fiend (rare): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
I was once a shameless, full-time dope fiend.
- mention (B1): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Are there any other sacred things we're not supposed to mention?
Compare with titles in similar genres
- The Irishman: 16.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Drugstore Cowboy).
- Femme Fatale: 16.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Drugstore Cowboy).
- Spartan: 16.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Drugstore Cowboy).
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: