Comprehensible input · English

4 English channels made for learners, measured

Ranked by median difficulty, easiest first. The bar is a range, not a label — a channel typically spans a wide stretch of the scale, so one level would be false for its own hardest videos.

4
learner channels
591
videos scored
186 h
of material

The ranking

#ChannelLevel range (0–100)MedianTypical bandPaceVideosHours
1Easy English64831B1-B2medium13837 h
2BBC Learning English07554B2-C2medium19130 h
3Speak English With Vanessa288556B1-B2fast17485 h
4Learn English with Bob the Canadian438666B1-B2fast8834 h

3 of these 4 channels carry the same vocabulary band (B1-B2), and their scores still run from 0 to 86. That gap is pace: what separates the easiest of these channels from the hardest is how fast people talk, not which words they use. How that is measured →

Find something to watch

Dark Web & Liquid Drugs (Full Episode) | To Catch a Smuggler
score 57National GeographicB1-B2~5,000 words44 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
300 Years of Classical Music in 18 Minutes | Joshua Bell | TED
score 57TEDB1-B2~6,000 words18 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Tsunami: Breaking News (Full Episode) | Tsunami: Race Against Time | National Geographic
score 57National GeographicB1-B2~4,000 words44 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Gordon Ramsay Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
score 57WIREDB2-C1~5,000 words9 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Inside the Dangerous World of Illegal Gambling (Full Episode) | Trafficked | National Geographic
score 57National GeographicB2-C1~4,000 words44 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Harvard Professor Answers Middle East Questions | Tech Support | WIRED
score 58WIREDB2-C2~6,000 words38 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
How Screens Stole Childhood — and How to Get It Back | Jonathan Haidt | TED
score 58TEDB1-C1~6,000 words18 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Can we actually control superintelligent AI? | Ada, Ep. 4
score 58TED-EdB2-C2~7,000 words11 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
There Are Thousands of Alien Empires in The Milky Way
score 58Kurzgesagt – In a NutshellB2-C1~7,000 words14 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
How to Become a K-pop Superstar — in 7 Minutes | Charlene Kaye | TED
score 58TEDB1-C1~4,000 words8 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
How to Use Your Muscles — or Risk Losing Them (W/ Bonnie Tsui) | How to Be a Better Human | TED
score 58TEDB1-C1~4,000 words13 minfastauto subs
Watch on YouTube ↗
Is AI Ruining Music? | Dustin Ballard | TED
score 58TEDB2-C1~7,000 words11 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
A Pastry Chef Works His Chocolatier Magic — Live | Amaury Guichon | TED
score 58TEDB2-C1~5,000 words13 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Why You Should Spend Less Time with Your Kids | Lenore Skenazy | TED
score 58TEDB1-B2~3,000 words13 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
All Of Human History In One Hour
score 59Kurzgesagt – In a NutshellB2-C2~9,000 words1h 3mfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
The Award for Best Comedy Wildlife Photo Goes to… | Tom Sullam | TED
score 59TEDB1-C1~7,000 words7 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Examining History of a Dictatorship | Inside North Korea MEGA Episode | National Geographic
score 59National GeographicB2-C1~7,000 words2h 59mfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Can humans be trusted with control over genetics? - Michael Vazquez and Raye Ploeger
score 60TED-EdB2-C1~9,000 words5 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
How to survive the apocalypse | Ada, Ep. 1
score 60TED-EdB2-C1~7,000 words11 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Would you sell your kidney for $100,000? | Ada, Ep. 2
score 60TED-EdB1-B2~5,000 words11 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Army Historian Answers World War II Questions | Tech Support | WIRED
score 60WIREDB2-C2~9,000 words34 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
I Trained with Kenya's ELITE Runners | Superskilled with Eva zu Beck S2 E3 | National Geographic
score 61National GeographicB2-C1~5,000 words35 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
The Boys' Antony Starr Answers The Internet's Best Questions
score 61WIREDB1-C1~4,000 words17 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
How we got hooked on credit cards - Nidhi Upadhyaya
score 61TED-EdB2-C2~8,000 words5 minfast
Watch on YouTube ↗
Watching is the other halfYouTube gives you one subtitle line, in one language. Linglass puts English and your own language on screen together, and turns any word you tap into a flashcard.Add to Chrome — free