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 Stanford Prison Experiment
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Stanford Prison Experiment in English?
The Stanford Prison Experiment: 61.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 16.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,374.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 28.5% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 16.4% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 11.1% 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
91.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.9% 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
- tense (B1): 12 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[TENSE BASS MUSIC]
- suppose (B1): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: To think something is probably true, or to imagine a possible situation.
Subtitle example:
(FATHER MACALLISTER) Well, son, just how do you suppose
- bastard (C1): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: An insulting term for a person; historically, a child born to unmarried parents.
Subtitle example:
I guess we're just a bunch of bastards,
- foreboding (rare): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
[FOREBODING PERCUSSIVE MUSIC]
- get in (B2): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: To enter a place or vehicle; in some contexts, to arrive.
Subtitle example:
Get in the goddamn hole. - Oh, 819's already in the hole.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Golda: 16.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points less than The Stanford Prison Experiment).
- Argo: 16.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than The Stanford Prison Experiment).
- Missing: 16.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than The Stanford Prison Experiment).
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: