Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
12 Years a Slave
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is 12 Years a Slave in English?
12 Years a Slave: 56.0% A1–A2 vocabulary; 23.1% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,406.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 35.9% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 23.1% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 17.1% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
8.1% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
86.6% A1–A2 vocabulary; 7.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.0% 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
- nigger (rare): 66 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Run, nigger, run Well, you better get away
- lord (B1): 37 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: A man with a noble title; also a religious title or an exclamation.
Subtitle example:
MALE SLAVE: (SINGING) My Lord
- slave (C1): 18 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
MALES SLAVES: Sunshine
- heaven (B2): 16 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
"the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (ELIZA WAILING)
- sobbing (rare): 16 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
(SOBBING)
Compare with titles in similar genres
- A Man for All Seasons: 22.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.5 percentage points less than 12 Years a Slave).
- Oppenheimer: 23.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.8 percentage points more than 12 Years a Slave).
- The Professor and the Madman: 22.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.8 percentage points less than 12 Years a Slave).
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: