Chef

How difficult is Chef in English?

Chef: 62.7% A1–A2 vocabulary; 17.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,578.

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: 17.7% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
• For B2 learners: 12.3% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.

8.9% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.

Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences

92.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.4% 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

• truck (B2): 37 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: A large road vehicle used to carry goods.

  Subtitle example: I like food trucks. - Yeah, I like food trucks.

• hell (C1): 13 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: A place of suffering in some religious beliefs; also used informally to express anger or surprise.

  Subtitle example: What the hell's Riva doing here?

• hang on (B2): 12 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: To wait briefly, hold tightly, or continue despite difficulty.

  Subtitle example: Hang on a second, buddy. And on the radishes here, I use the tops, OK?

• buddy (B1): 11 occurrences in available subtitles.

  English meaning: An informal word for a friend or companion.

  Subtitle example: Buckle up, buddy. Sorry I'm late.

• beignet (rare): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.

  Subtitle example: Beignets. You ever hear of that? - We can get it here.

Compare with titles in similar genres

• Hunt for the Wilderpeople: 17.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than Chef).
• Captain Fantastic: 17.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.1 percentage points less than Chef).
• Sullivan s Travels: 17.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.4 percentage points less than Chef).

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: 2026-10-13