Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
Breaking Bad
Is Breaking Bad difficult to watch in English? Explore its vocabulary difficulty, estimated English level, and unfamiliar words before watching.
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is Breaking Bad in English?
Breaking Bad: 31.9% A1–A2 vocabulary; 35.2% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 6,992.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 49.2% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 35.2% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 28.4% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Expect substantial preparation; start with short scenes and English subtitles.
18.9% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
91.8% A1–A2 vocabulary; 3.3% 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.
Subtitle coverage: 62 of 62 episodes; the profile describes only available subtitles.
Recurring words and phrases to preview
- hell (C1): 192 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: A place of suffering in some religious beliefs; also used informally to express anger or surprise.
Subtitle example:
Hell, I'll write you a check right now if you let me go.
- whatever (B1): 88 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: Anything that is needed or possible; also an informal expression of indifference.
Subtitle example:
Whatever, man.
- suppose (B1): 82 occurrences in available subtitles.
English meaning: To think something is probably true, or to imagine a possible situation.
Subtitle example:
I don't suppose it is bad form to just...
- lab (B2): 66 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
of hand-drawn plans for a meth super-lab,
- file (B2): 60 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Now, I could file a suit and encumber this property indefinitely.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- Fargo: 38.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (3.4 percentage points more than Breaking Bad).
- The Wire: 39.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (4.5 percentage points more than Breaking Bad).
- Oz: 40.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (5.4 percentage points more than Breaking Bad).
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: