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

This could save lives— but are you willing to do it? - Michael Vazquez and Sarah Stroud
score 43TED-EdB2-C1~7,000 words6 minmedium
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What should you do if you accidentally cut off your finger? - Jason Hoellwarth
score 43TED-EdC1-C2~14,000 words6 minmedium
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Meet the slow loris, the only venomous primate in existence - Stephanie A. Poindexter
score 44TED-EdC1-C2~18,000 words6 minmedium
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Why does Italy have 6000 Ghost Towns? (hidden Italy)
score 44Yes TheoryB1-B2~4,000 words22 minmediumauto subs
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If you had the chance to be immortal, would you take it? - Sarah Stroud and Michael Vazquez
score 44TED-EdB2-C2~10,000 words6 minmedium
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How to Power the World 24/7 — Without Oil | Cindy Taff | TED
score 44TEDB2-C2~5,000 words10 minmedium
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What is hysteria, and why were so many women diagnosed with it? - Mark S. Micale
score 44TED-EdC1-C2~13,000 words6 minmedium
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Joe Rogan Experience #2443 - Filippo Biondi
score 44PowerfulJREB2-C1~6,000 words2h 7mmediumauto subs
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Lip Sync Battle with Melissa McCarthy | Fallon Flashback
score 44The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonB2-C1~5,000 words8 minmedium
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The missing ingredient in how we learn
score 44TED-EdB2-C2~10,000 words6 minmedium
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Why did the Maya Abandon Their Cities? (Full Episode) | The Rise and Fall of the Maya | Nat Geo
score 45National GeographicB2-C1~8,000 words44 minmedium
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Is this the most valuable thing in the ocean? - David Biello
score 45TED-EdC1-C2~16,000 words6 minmedium
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Greek mythology’s greatest warrior - Iseult Gillespie
score 45TED-EdC1-C2~9,000 words6 minmedium
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Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India - Power, Democracy, War & Peace | Lex Fridman Podcast #460
score 45Lex FridmanB2-C1~7,000 words3h 18mmedium
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The tragedy of the one guy who was right about the Trojan Horse - Noah Charney
score 45TED-EdC1-C2~14,000 words6 minmedium
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Inside the Lost Tombs | Lost Treasures of Egypt MEGA Episode | National Geographic
score 45National GeographicB2-C2~8,000 words4h 25mmedium
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What Really Won the Trillion-Dollar Supreme Court Case | Neal Kumar Katyal | TED
score 45TEDB2-C1~6,000 words18 minmedium
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New Years' High in New York City (Full Episode) | Drugs, Inc: The Fix
score 45National GeographicB1-B2~4,000 words44 minmedium
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Guido van Rossum: Python and the Future of Programming | Lex Fridman Podcast #341
score 46Lex FridmanB2-C2~8,000 words3h 16mmediumauto subs
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Egypt’s Queens: Cleopatra, Nefertiti, & More | Lost Treasures of Egypt MEGA Episode | Nat Geo
score 46National GeographicB2-C2~8,000 words2h 12mmedium
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Jane Goodall: The Hope (Full Episode) | SPECIAL | National Geographic
score 46National GeographicB1-B2~4,000 words1h 29mmedium
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How much do you really know about Ancient Rome? - Stephanie Honchell Smith
score 46TED-EdC1-C2~11,000 words6 minmedium
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What is vaginal discharge and why does it happen? - Elizabeth Micks
score 46TED-EdC1-C2~20,000 words6 minmedium
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50 Hours Inside Chernobyl - The World's Most Radioactive Place (surreal experience)
score 46Yes TheoryB1-C1~5,000 words24 minmediumauto subs
Watch on YouTube ↗
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