Abstract This article aims to contribute to shedding light on subtitling in the field of second language vocabulary learning while indicating possible directions for future research. In view of previous research, it investigates the effects of subtitling on incidental vocabulary acquisition. It is based on an experimental study carried out, after extensive piloting, with 25 English native speakers studying Italian as a Foreign Language (levels A1–A2) at the National University of Ireland, Galway. By triangulating quantitative and qualitative data, the experimental study shows that interlingual subtitling promotes the incidental acquisition of new word meanings in terms of productive recall.