Is Frankenstein hard to read? Its reading level from A1 to C2
How many words in every 100 you will probably not know, at each level from A1 to C2. Estimated over the whole book with Solaread’s own word-difficulty model.
- Author
- Mary Shelley
- First published
- 1818
- Length
- About 73,900 words
- Copyright
- Public domain
Short answer
Just right only at C2: 3.5 new words in every 100. At B1 it is too hard, 12.7 in 100. It is the second hardest of the 20 English classics we measured.
New words per 100, by level
Estimated over all 73,949 running words. Character names are left out. The labels follow Solaread’s difficulty scale: Easy means knowing 98 of every 100 words, Just right 95, A little hard 90, and below that Too hard.
Frankenstein vocabulary by level
At A2
- creature68×
- miserable65×
- endeavor56×
- cottage56×
- misery54×
- despair50×
- countenance48×
- affection48×
- discover52×
- desire60×
- horror50×
- sensation44×
The 12 words an A2 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 3% of the new words at this level.
At B1
- endeavor56×
- countenance48×
- despair50×
- misery54×
- miserable65×
- cottage56×
- affection48×
- perceive39×
- endure42×
- fiend33×
- sensation44×
- misfortune33×
The 12 words a B1 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 5% of the new words at this level.
At B2
- countenance48×
- endeavor56×
- fiend33×
- beheld31×
- misfortune33×
- wretch24×
- bestow30×
- cottagers23×
- weep28×
- tremble23×
- quitted22×
- exclaim20×
The 12 words a B2 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 6% of the new words at this level.
The opening lines
I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic. My ancestors had been for many years counsellors and syndics, and my father had filled several public situations with honour and reputation. He was respected by all who knew him for his integrity and indefatigable attention to public business. He passed his younger days perpetually occupied by the affairs of his country; a variety of circumstances had prevented his marrying early, nor was it until the decline of life that he became a husband and the father of a family.
As the circumstances of his marriage illustrate his character, I cannot refrain from relating them.
Open the free EPUB in Solaread and the words it marks follow your own level, with glosses in the language you choose.
Books with a similar level
- Wuthering Heights12.1 new words per 100 at B1
- Heart of Darkness12.2 at B1
- The Call of the Wild13.1 at B1
Questions
Is Frankenstein hard to read?
At B1 it is too hard, with 12.7 new words in every 100 (about one in 8). It is just right only at C2.
What is the reading level of Frankenstein?
On Solaread’s scale it is just right only at C2, and the second hardest of the 20 English classics we measured. At B2, 7.9 in every 100 words are new.
Where can I get Frankenstein for free?
It is in the public domain. Project Gutenberg has a free EPUB you can import into Solaread.
Read it with help only where you need it
Import the free EPUB. Solaread marks the words you probably don’t know, at your level.