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 Shape of Water
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Shape of Water in English?
The Shape of Water: 60.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 20.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 1,447.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 30.7% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 20.7% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 14.9% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
9.0% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
87.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 6.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 3.0% 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
- strickland (rare): 27 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
STRICKLAND: Ugly as sin.
- amphibian (rare): 15 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
(amphibian man groans) - (gasps)
- gile (rare): 14 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
GILES: If I spoke about it...
- creature (B1): 12 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Get them out. - (creature banging on tank)
- indistinct (rare): 10 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
(indistinct conversations)
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Three Thousand Years of Longing: 23.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (3.0 percentage points more than The Shape of Water).
- A Matter of Life and Death: 17.4% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (3.3 percentage points less than The Shape of Water).
- Meet Joe Black: 16.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (3.9 percentage points less than The Shape of Water).
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: