Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Chicago
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Chicago in English?
Chicago: 59.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 19.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,593.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 31.3% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 19.8% 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.
8.8% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
90.2% A1–A2 vocabulary; 4.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.3% 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
- jazz (B1): 47 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[ Introduction to ''Overture/ And All That Jazz'' plays ]
- pop (B1): 13 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
So I said to him , ''You pop that gum one more time. . .''
- cicero (rare): 11 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
* Cicero *
- laughter (B1): 11 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[ Rim shot, laughter ]
- dazzle (rare): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
* Razzle dazzle 'em *
Compare with titles in similar genres
- The Producers: 20.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.6 percentage points more than Chicago).
- Oscar: 19.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Chicago).
- Bitch Slap: 19.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than Chicago).
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: