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10×a small devil; a nickname here
Fantasy drama · British and Irish (many regional accents) English
Game of Thrones: English level and how hard it is to understand
Slow, formal speech, but full of old-fashioned words, titles, and a huge number of names and places. Accents vary from scene to scene.
Updated
Short answer
Game of Thrones is best for B2 learners. In 12 episodes we measured, a B1 learner knows about 96.9% of the words, and the characters speak at about 138 words per minute (slow).
Game of Thrones in numbers
- Recommended level
- B2
- Speaking speed
- 138 words / min
- Words per episode
- 4,199
- Known at B1
- 96.9%
- Known at B2
- 97.79%
- Different words
- 4,163 in 12 episodes
Difficulty rank: 5 of 11 in our TV shows by English level list (old-style english, many names).
Beyond the numbers
What makes Game of Thrones hard (or easy)?
- Medieval words (fealty, bannerman, deserter) are rare in modern English.
- Dozens of names, families, and places: we removed them from the word count, but you still have to follow them.
- Northern English, Scottish, and Irish accents change from character to character.
Game of Thrones is mostly British and Irish (many regional accents) English. Accent and speed matter as much as vocabulary: if you know the words but can’t catch them, turn on English subtitles and slow down.
Learn these first
Useful words from Game of Thrones
B2–C2 words that came up again and again in the episodes we analysed. Counts are for the 12 episodes.
bannerman
6×a lord who serves a greater lord
fealty
4×a promise of loyalty to a lord
deserter
4×a soldier who runs away
kneel
4×go down on one knee
nightfall
4×the time when it gets dark
dungeon
4×a prison under a castle
avenge
4×punish someone for a wrong they did
Spoken forms you will hear constantly
uh ×11yeah ×8hey ×8gonna ×7huh ×6ain ×4
gonna = going to · wanna = want to · gotta = got to / have to. Textbooks rarely teach them, but TV uses them all the time.
Vocabulary profile
How common are the words in Game of Thrones?
Share of all spoken words in each frequency band (A1 = the 5,000 most common words).
A190.65%
A23.7%
B12.55%
B20.89%
C10.48%
C20.34%
Unlisted1.39%
Watching plan
How to learn English with Game of Thrones
- Keep a short list of the main families and where they live.
- Use subtitles. Even native speakers turn them on for this show.
- Notice the formal grammar (“I have need of…”) but don’t copy it in daily English.
In TeakReader you can import the subtitles of any episode, see the words you don’t know yet, and study them as flashcards before you press play. How it works
How we measured it
We took English subtitles for 12 episodes spread across the first seasons (S1E1, S1E3, S1E6, S1E8, S2E1, S2E3, S2E6, S2E8, S3E1, S3E3, S3E6, S3E8), removed sound descriptions, speaker labels, and character names, and matched each of the 50,386 spoken words to the same frequency list we use for classic book levels. Speaking speed is spoken words divided by the time the subtitles are on screen. Only statistics and single words are shown here.
The recommended level is our estimate from vocabulary, speed, and style, not an official CEFR rating. Later seasons can be easier or harder.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Game of Thrones good for learning English?
Game of Thrones is slower than most sitcoms, but its old-fashioned vocabulary, many names, and mix of accents make it a B2 show. At B1 it is enjoyable with subtitles if you already know the story. We recommend it from B2.
How fast do they speak in Game of Thrones?
About 138 words per minute of dialogue, which is slow for TV. Everyday conversation is often around 150 words per minute.
How many words do I need to understand Game of Thrones?
A learner who knows the most common 20,000 English word forms (our B1 band) knows about 96.9% of the words spoken. Research on listening suggests that knowing about 95% of the words is enough to follow most of what is said, so subtitles help until you reach that point.
How did you measure this?
We analysed the English subtitles of 12 episodes from the first seasons (50,386 words), removed sound notes, speaker labels, and character names, and matched every word to the same frequency list we use for book levels. The level is our estimate, not an official CEFR rating.
Can I study the vocabulary of Game of Thrones before watching?
Yes. In TeakReader, search for the show, import an episode’s subtitles, and you get a list of its words you don’t know yet, with meanings and flashcards.
Ready to read
Learn the words from Game of Thrones before you watch.
Import any episode’s subtitles in TeakReader and get its unknown words with meanings and flashcards. Free on iPhone, iPad, and Android.