Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Taking Lives
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Taking Lives in English?
Taking Lives: 68.0% A1–A2 vocabulary; 13.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,129.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 25.2% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 13.9% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 9.2% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Try a short scene and check your comprehension; the vocabulary offers a relatively accessible starting point.
6.8% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
92.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 1.8% 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
- agent (B2): 16 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: Someone who acts for another person or organization.
Subtitle example:
What are you doing? - Preparing a briefing for Agent Scott.
- victim (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
and victims and these pictures, you know?
- credit (B1): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
All I got is my dad's credit card.
- cop (B2): 5 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: An informal word for a police officer.
Subtitle example:
He's gone, and then I call the cops.
- construction (C1): 3 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
why else bury it at a construction site, unless you want it to be dug up, right?
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Runner Runner: 13.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Taking Lives).
- Klute: 13.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Taking Lives).
- Midnight in the Switchgrass: 13.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points less than Taking Lives).
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: