Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Sherlock Holmes
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Sherlock Holmes in English?
Sherlock Holmes: 53.5% A1–A2 vocabulary; 22.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,993.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 36.0% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 22.8% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 16.2% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
10.5% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
86.0% A1–A2 vocabulary; 6.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 3.4% 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
- lord (B1): 21 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: A man with a noble title; also a religious title or an exclamation.
Subtitle example:
My lords.
- beyond (B1): 9 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Why they thought you'd require any assistance is beyond me.
- midget (rare): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Midget. - So you agree?
- system (B1): 7 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
But our secret systems have steered the world towards good for centuries.
- gaze (B2): 6 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Mr. Holmes, you must widen your gaze.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- National Treasure Book of Secrets: 18.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (4.5 percentage points less than Sherlock Holmes).
- National Treasure: 17.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (5.3 percentage points less than Sherlock Holmes).
- Quantum of Solace: 13.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (9.0 percentage points less than Sherlock Holmes).
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: