A vocabulary list featuring 300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words. Looking to build your vocabulary? Then practice this list of 300 "hard words" — the kind that used to be tested on the SAT before 2016. If you're a high school student prepping for the SAT, check out Vocabulary.com's Roadmap to the ...

Originating from 17th century Latin and originally meaning ‘a foot and a half long’, this word literally stands for ‘long-winded’ words, such as Sesquipedalian. And one would think it would mean something really mysterious and fascinating.

January 31, 2023 - Explore 250+ of the hardest English words to spell and pronounce. Includes adult Spelling Bee words, common misspellings, and tricky pronunciation tips.

Misuse of this word has been known to raise people’s blood pressure. ‘Literally’ means, “in a literal sense”, or “what I’m saying is not imagined, but truly happened as I’m saying it.” Therefore, popular uses like “I literally died laughing,” or “He was so embarrassed his cheeks literally burned up,” are not correct. Interestingly, because of the sheer reach of its incorrect use, the Oxford English Dictionary has included an informal use for ‘literally’ allowing it as a tool to give emphasis, like in the above examples.

Misuse of this word has been known to raise people’s blood pressure. ‘Literally’ means, “in a literal sense”, or “what I’m saying is not imagined, but truly happened as I’m saying it.” Therefore, popular uses like “I literally died laughing,” or “He was so embarrassed his cheeks literally burned up,” are not correct. Interestingly, because of the sheer reach of its incorrect use, the Oxford English Dictionary has included an informal use for ‘literally’ allowing it as a tool to give emphasis, like in the above examples.

July 17, 2025 - Even fictionalized versions of the word, like “green-ify” (shout-out to fans of Wicked), are spelled with an “i.” But “liquefy,” meaning to make or become liquid, ends with “-efy.” To make matters even more confusing, “liquid” itself is spelled “-qui,” really making you think that second vowel should be an “i.” But nope—the fact that “liquefy” is spelled with an “e” makes it one of our hardest words to spell. (“Stupefy,” “putrefy,” and “rarefy” also use this unusual spelling.) Next, find out what TL;DR means. ... Native English spellers have gotten used to the spelling of “Wednesday,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still very, very strange when you think about it.

February 22, 2025 - The word has since come to mean two things: something truly wonderful or something ridiculously complicated. Meaning #1: Wonderful, great, awesome. If I won the lottery, it would be a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious experience. Meaning #2: Overly complicated. I did not understand anything from the lesson because the explanations were supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. “Colonel” is a tricky English word because its pronunciation is so different from its spelling.

July 29, 2022 - The swampy definition, however, is commonly pronounced “slew” in American English, but also sometimes rhymes with “wow.” Who decided that two words that are pronounced completely differently should share this unintuitive spelling? If this list of the hardest English words to spell has your head spinning, you’re not alone; lots of others feel the same way.

July 7, 2025 - One of the things that makes English hard to spell is that there are letters that can—but don’t always—make the same sounds, such as c and s. This, combined with the use of double consonants that don’t change how the word is pronounced, makes necessary tricky to spell.

The “r” sounds in “rural” are difficult to say back-to-back, making this word challenging for many. Some common mispronunciations include rool or rur-al. ... Draught is often used in British English to refer to draft beer, but it can also mean a current of cool air in a room.

March 14, 2025 - When it comes to the hardest English word to pronounce, faux is almost always at the top of the list. This word, which means “not real or genuine,” looks like it should rhyme with “fox” (the animal) when pronounced.

November 28, 2024 - Learn more than 50 Difficult English Words with Meanings. Check out the Tips to learn Hard Words Meaning quickly in a easy way. Click now.

Answer (1 of 4): Numbers- 13/30, 14/40, etc. The difference is stress, not sounds, as native speakers don’t usually emphasize the “n” at the end of the teen words. There’s even a possibility that the confusion resulted in a plane crash, as the pilot misunderstood the altitude indicated by the air...

July 17, 2025 - To most people, words like ‘esoteric’, phylogenetic, and ‘synecdoche’ might be difficult as these are not commonly used in our daily conversations. Moreover, they have complex meanings, as they require specific knowledge to understand. There are over 170,000 English words in the Oxford Dictionary.

Answer (1 of 9): 7 most difficult English words that will let you forget what you wanted to say Reading time 5 minutes When speaking English you sometimes come across some words that make you think if you are actually pronouncing them correctly. Well, there are certainly a couple of words that...

This is primarily due to the fact that English borrows words from many other languages, including French, Latin, Greek, and German. For instance, “vacuum” is derived from the Latin word “vacuus,” which means “empty.” · We have structured this guide in the form of a long list so that you can learn the hardest English words and their pronunciation in an organized manner.

We hear you, some English words like “clothes” or “February” can be hard to pronounce. Luckily, we’ve got your back. Learn and practice pronouncing hard words in English with Busuu’s free online courses and learning resources! ... Below you’ll find 20 of the hardest English words to pronounce.