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 Fog of War
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Fog of War in English?
The Fog of War: 57.0% A1–A2 vocabulary; 17.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,481.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 32.6% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 17.8% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 10.1% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
10.4% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
86.7% A1–A2 vocabulary; 5.0% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.8% 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
- war (B1): 72 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: Armed fighting between countries or groups.
Subtitle example:
In my life, I've been part of wars.
- bomb (B2): 21 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: An explosive device.
Subtitle example:
The U.S. Was just beginning to bomb.
- nuclear (B2): 16 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
There'll be no learning period with nuclear weapons.
- military (B1): 13 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Any military commander who is honest with himself...
- 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:
I said, 'To hell with it. I'm going back to Harvard.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Finding Vivian Maier: 17.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than The Fog of War).
- Won t You Be My Neighbor: 16.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (1.5 percentage points less than The Fog of War).
- 20 Feet from Stardom: 14.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (3.1 percentage points less than The Fog of War).
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: