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 Butterfly Effect
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Butterfly Effect in English?
The Butterfly Effect: 64.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 16.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,191.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 25.4% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 16.3% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 11.4% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
9.8% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
91.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.9% 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): 12 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, you've already done so much for me.
- freak (B1): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
...don't freak out when I ask you this...
- clothe (C1): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
I was cold, so I wanted to wear my clothes.
- drawing (B1): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
I had all the children make drawings of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
- blockbuster (rare): 5 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
I knew Dad had a blockbuster down here!
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Gravity: 14.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (1.4 percentage points less than The Butterfly Effect).
- Ex Machina: 14.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (1.5 percentage points less than The Butterfly Effect).
- Mother Android: 18.0% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (1.7 percentage points more than The Butterfly Effect).
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: