Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Columbus
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Columbus in English?
Columbus: 71.3% A1–A2 vocabulary; 12.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 905.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 23.4% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 12.9% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 7.4% 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.
5.4% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
93.8% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 1.4% 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
- attention (B1): 14 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
of attention span.
- architecture (B1): 11 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
No, but I'm really interested in architecture.
- korean (B1): 8 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
You know, it's that Korean thing.
- expect (B1): 4 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: To think something will happen or that someone will do something.
Subtitle example:
They don't expect you to work
- modernism (rare): 4 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
You know, meth is a big thing here; meth and modernism.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- The Legend of Tarzan: 12.9% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points more than Columbus).
- Saint Maud: 12.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than Columbus).
- White Boy Rick: 12.8% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.0 percentage points less than Columbus).
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: