CEFR Vocabulary Checker
Paste any English text; a reading passage or a student's writing sample. This CEFR vocabulary checker gives you a per-word level (A1–C2) and the overall level of the passage, before you assign a task or grade a draft.
Why it matters for lesson planning: an article that reads "about B1" often hides a C1 tail that stalls the lesson, and a task set at B2 is wasted if the source text never leaves A2. Checking the vocabulary profile first tells you whether to use the text as-is, pre-teach five words, or drop it; a 20-second decision instead of a mid-lesson rescue. Do the same with the learner's output and you get evidence for the level you claim, not a hunch.
What each CEFR vocabulary level means
The checker labels words, not people. Use this table to read the histogram above and decide what the level actually implies for your next 1:1 lesson.
| Level | Vocabulary range | Typical words |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | ~500 high-frequency words: personal details, immediate needs. | work, family, buy, good |
| A2 | ~1,000 words: routine tasks, simple descriptions of the past. | meeting, arrive, busy, cheap |
| B1 | ~2,000 words: familiar work and travel topics, simple opinions. | deadline, suggest, reliable, avoid |
| B2 | ~4,000 words: abstract topics, argument and nuance. | stakeholder, assess, ambiguous, milestone |
| C1 | ~8,000 words: implicit meaning, idiomatic and professional register. | endorse, mitigate, contingent, discrepancy |
| C2 | Near-native breadth: low-frequency, technical and figurative usage. | ostensibly, coalesce, ineluctable |
Rule of thumb for adult 1:1: a text is usable when 90–95% of its tokens sit at or below the learner's level. Above that, you are teaching vocabulary instead of running the task you planned.
How teachers use this vocabulary checker
- Vet a source text before the lesson. Paste the article or email you plan to use; if the C1 column is above ~5% of tokens, pre-teach or swap the text.
- Build a pre-teach list. Copy the words highlighted above the learner's level: that is your five-word warm-up, not a guess.
- Level a worksheet you wrote yourself. Run your own instructions through it; instructions written above task level are the usual reason an exercise "did not work".
- Evidence a level claim. Save the histogram of a writing sample at intake and again after ten lessons; the shift in the B2/C1 tail is the progress evidence learners actually believe.
How to check a student's writing against CEFR
In 1:1 adult lessons, the fastest way to justify a level claim is the learner's own output. Paste the writing sample above and read the histogram instead of the score:
- Check the ceiling. If almost every word lands in A1–A2, the draft is functionally A2 even when the task was set at B1; the learner avoided the target range.
- Check the spread. A healthy B2 sample shows a B1 core with a visible B2/C1 tail. A flat profile usually means memorised phrases, not productive range.
- Compare with the input text. Run the reading or email the learner replied to, then run the reply. A large gap between input level and output level tells you exactly where to place the next task.
- Record what you found. Note the two or three higher-level words the learner actually produced; that is the evidence you reuse when you set the next worksheet.
The checker measures vocabulary range only. Grammar accuracy, cohesion and task achievement still need your reading, treat the output as one evidence source, not a grade.
Frequently asked questions
How does the checker decide each word's CEFR level?
Known words are matched against a built-in English Vocabulary Profile lookup (~480 high-frequency lemmas across A1–C1). Unknown words fall back to a length-and-suffix heuristic.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Analysis runs entirely in your browser. Nothing leaves your device.
How long can the input be?
Up to about 5,000 characters comfortably. Longer texts still work but may pause your tab briefly while tokenizing.
Can I use it as a CEFR writing checker?
Yes. Paste a student writing sample and read the level histogram: the range of vocabulary the learner actually produced indicates their productive level. It measures vocabulary range only, not grammar accuracy or task achievement.
Can I export the result?
Yes: copy the highlighted text or the per-level breakdown into a Google Doc or share it with the student.
Lock the level for your next worksheet
Edooqoo creates printable worksheets using teacher-selected CEFR levels.
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