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

What is sumo, and why is it so popular? - Lee Thompson
score 51TED-EdC1-C2~15,000 words6 minmedium
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Lady Meng Jiang: The legend of the woman who outwitted an evil emperor - Juwen Zhang
score 51TED-EdB2-C2~9,000 words5 minmedium
Watch on YouTube ↗
Exploring Lost Treasures & Tombs Around the Globe | MEGA EPISODE SPECIAL | National Geographic
score 51National GeographicB2-C2~8,000 words2h 56mmedium
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How to attack (and defend) a medieval castle - Connor C. Wilson
score 51TED-EdC1-C2~14,000 words6 minmedium
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Why did people wear powdered wigs? - Stephanie Honchell Smith
score 51TED-EdC1-C2~14,000 words6 minmedium
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You'll travel 1 trillion kilometers through space - Fabio Pacucci and Lindsay DeMarchi
score 51TED-EdC1-C2~13,000 words6 minmedium
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Psychologist Answers Couples Therapy Questions | Tech Support | WIRED
score 52WIREDB2-C1~5,000 words31 minmedium
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What Earth in 2125 could look like - Iseult Gillespie
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~13,000 words5 minmedium
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24 Hour Pakistani Street Food Tour | Epic Food Journeys with Mark Wiens | National Geographic
score 52National GeographicC1-C2~9,000 words29 minmediumauto subs
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How AI Could Generate New Life-Forms | Eric Nguyen | TED
score 52TEDB2-C1~11,000 words12 minmedium
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Why does catnip make cats go crazy? - Jaap de Roode
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~17,000 words5 minmedium
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3 things that can cause painful periods - Chen X. Chen
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~20,000 words5 minmedium
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The curse of the monkey's paw - Iseult Gillespie
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~9,000 words7 minmedium
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Why did it take so long to find giant squids? - Anna Rothschild
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~12,000 words6 minmedium
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What’s the best position to sleep in? - Rachel Marie E. Salas
score 52TED-EdB2-C2~9,000 words5 minmedium
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How does kidney transplant surgery work? - Alexander H. Toledo
score 52TED-EdB2-C2~8,000 words5 minmedium
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AI is Coming for Your Job. Now What? | Vlad Tenev | TED
score 52TEDB2-C2~8,000 words15 minmedium
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How some friendships last — and others don’t - Iseult Gillespie
score 52TED-EdB2-C1~8,000 words5 minmedium
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The birth of the galaxy in 60 seconds - Scott Hershberger
score 52TED-EdC1-C2~11,000 words5 minmedium
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The fascinating reason you loved peek-a-boo
score 52TED-EdB2-C1~8,000 words5 minmedium
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Alex Honnold Climbs a 4,000 Foot Sea Wall (Full Episode) | Arctic Ascent | National Geographic
score 52National GeographicB1-B2~4,000 words49 minmedium
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Real Madrid's $1 Billion Super Stadium Upgrade (Full Episode) | Megastructures | National Geographic
score 52National GeographicB2-C2~9,000 words45 minmedium
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History vs. Russia’s most infamous empress - Carolyn Harris
score 52TED-EdB2-C2~10,000 words7 minmedium
Watch on YouTube ↗
This is what happens in your brain when you can’t recall a word - Cella Wright
score 52TED-EdB2-C2~10,000 words6 minmedium
Watch on YouTube ↗
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