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 Paper
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Paper in English?
The Paper: 61.1% A1–A2 vocabulary; 17.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,664.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 29.3% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 17.9% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 12.0% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
9.6% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
92.2% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.0% 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
- cop (B2): 22 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: An informal word for a police officer.
Subtitle example:
Two dozen cops hassling anybody with a black face and a record
- hell (C1): 15 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: A place of suffering in some religious beliefs; also used informally to express anger or surprise.
Subtitle example:
What the hell's he doing?
- quote (B2): 11 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
A, uh, what? Quote.
- justice (B1): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Do you still have that friend down at the Justice Department, Mac?
- ray (B2): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
RAY: Does she think I can afford that?
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Words and Pictures: 17.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Paper).
- French Kiss: 17.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than The Paper).
- Barbershop The Next Cut: 17.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than The Paper).
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: