Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Spotlight
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Spotlight in English?
Spotlight: 59.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 14.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,686.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 29.5% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 14.6% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 9.0% 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.
10.7% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
91.7% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.0% 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
- victim (B1): 32 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
and the attorney for the victims, Mr...
- globe (B2): 31 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
The Globe has season tickets at Fenway
- ben (B1): 24 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
BEN: Losing a good reporter is always tough.
- spotlight (B2): 21 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Ben likes it. Yeah, it's not bad, it's just not Spotlight.
- catholic (C1): 14 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Good Catholic girl. Huh.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- American Me: 14.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than Spotlight).
- Public Enemies: 14.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points less than Spotlight).
- The Falcon and the Snowman: 14.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points more than Spotlight).
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: