Reader's Digest
rd.com › knowledge › grammar & spelling
20 Hard Words to Pronounce That Even Get Language Buffs Tongue-Tied
July 14, 2025 - Below, you’ll find a list of 20 hard words to pronounce. Some are fancy, others are funny, but they all have one thing in common—their correct pronunciation is sure to wrack your brain (and tongue!). The first 10 words on the list are from Unscrambled Words, who had word experts analyze average Google searches from the past year to see which words Americans found most challenging to pronounce.
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › e › hard-words-to-pronounce
26 Of The Hardest English Words To Pronounce | Dictionary.com
November 16, 2021 - The –ie and –ous endings often make people think there are [ ee ] sounds in the word [ mis-chee-vee-uhs ], but there aren’t. The word is simply three syllables long, without any [ ee ] sounds: [ mis-chuh-vuhs ]. As we noted earlier, the R sound in English can be tricky. That’s what makes murderer, with its three R sounds particularly difficult to pronounce.
What are the words that you struggle to pronounce?
Rural More on reddit.com
English as a second language, what are the hardest words to pronounce?
Yes, like you say, people tend to have trouble with “r” and “l” next to each other: squirrel rural There’s a running gag on the American TV show 30 Rock about a movie called “Rural Juror,” which is weird even for natives. Also “th” and “r:” thread thrill English maintaining contrast between: both “th” sounds, “f,” and “v” gives a lot of learners trouble. More on reddit.com
What's the hardest English word to pronounce?
When I was on Korea, I admit I did enjoy having the locals try to say "refrigerator" They always pronounced it "leefligahlata" More on reddit.com
Hard Words to Pronounce and Spell
Cholmondeley and Featherstonehaugh come to mind (English surnames, pronounced Chumley and Fanshaw). More on reddit.com
Videos
19:46
English Pronunciation Class: Master 30 difficult words - YouTube
40:45
75 Difficult Words to Pronounce (Fine-tune Your Pronunciation) ...
23:14
40+ Difficult Words to Pronounce in English - YouTube
06:32
How to pronounce 50 difficult words in English - YouTube
09:20
Pronounce 40 MOST DIFFICULT English Words - YouTube
17:15
Pronounce 33 MOST DIFFICULT English Words - YouTube
Oxford Language Club
oxfordlanguageclub.com › page › blog › 40-hard-to-pronounce-words-youre-probably-getting-wrong
40 Hard-to-Pronounce Words You're Probably Getting Wrong
In other words, as long as people can understand you, you are successfully using language for its primary purpose: communication. ... What it means: a strong coffee of Italian origin, made by forcing hot water through finely-ground coffee beans ... What it means: a musical direction meaning loud (pronounced "for-TAY"); a strong point or a strength (pronounced "fort")
EnglishClub
englishclub.com › efl › esl-magazine › pronunciation-50-words
50 Difficult Words to Pronounce | EnglishClub
Many of you shared other words that you (or your students) find difficult. Here are the first 25 words. Here is the second batch (compiled based on comments from learners and teachers via EC, Facebook, and MyEC). Let’s practise these words together: 1) Listen to the word.
Good Housekeeping
goodhousekeeping.com › life › the 31 most hard-to-pronounce words in the english language
The 31 Most Hard-to-Pronounce Words - Mispronounced English Words
July 21, 2017 - That's when similar consonants or vowels in a word become less alike, e.g. defibrillator becoming "defibyulator." ... The first R in deteriorate gets the same treatment. You could try to say it correctly, or just pick one of many, many synonyms instead: decay, decline, degenerate, devolve ... and that's just the Ds! ... Take heart. Almost everyone sounds like they have a lisp when they pronounce explicit.
BoldVoice
boldvoice.com › blog › hardest-english-words-to-pronounce
51 of the Hardest English Words to Pronounce | BoldVoice
Therefore, the "j" is pronounced like an /h/, and the "ñ" makes a "ny" sound. The word "brewery" is straightforward, with the stress on the first syllable. A brewery is a facility where beer is produced commercially, and it often trips up non-native speakers of English. When something is nuclear, it is relating to the nucleus of an atom. Just as with many other difficult English words, non-native speakers may include an extra sound in between syllables, as in "new-cue-lur" or "noo-cue-lar."
Busuu
busuu.com › en › english › hardest-english-words
20 Hard English Words To Pronounce With Phonerics - Busuu
February 20, 2024 - Because even though they share the same first two letters (“wh”) they are pronounced very differently. And this is where the frustration can begin. But don’t give up! In this article, we’ll dive into 20 hard English words. We’ll discover why English pronunciation is so difficult and how alphabet phonics, spelling, and silent letters combine to confuse language learners.
Scribd
scribd.com › document › 140920727 › 1500-Vocabulary-Words
1500 Vocabulary Words | PDF
1500 Vocabulary Words - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. This document provides definitions for 251 words. It begins with definitions for words like abhor, bigot, counterfeit, and enfranchise.
LanguageTool
languagetool.org › home › 33 hard-to-pronounce words
33 Hard-to-Pronounce Words
June 12, 2025 - We’ll teach you how to say several words that English learners and native speakers struggle to pronounce correctly. Açai is a type of berry that is known for its health benefits. It’s difficult to pronounce because it originates from the Portuguese language and the “ç” (cedilla) is pronounced like an “s,” but also because the stress of the word falls on the second syllable.
QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › 40 cool words | meanings & examples
40 Cool Words | Meanings & Examples
September 3, 2025 - Example: After hours in the freezing wind, he developed frostbite on his toes. ... Example: The actor’s living room was a hodgepodge of modern decoration and eccentric antiques. NoteHodgepodge is the American variant of this word. The British version is hotchpotch, which is pronounced “hoch-poch.”
Quora
quora.com › What-are-the-hardest-English-words-for-non-native-speakers-to-hear-and-differentiate
What are the hardest English words for non-native speakers to hear and differentiate? - Quora
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...
Speakenglishpodcast
speakenglishpodcast.com › wp-content › uploads › 2022 › 02 › 200-Difficult-Words-to-Pronounce-in-English.pdf pdf
200 Difficult Words to Pronounce in English
Another word that my students find difficult to · pronounce is deteriorate. Let's practice it for a bit. Listen and repeat after me: [ dih-teer-ee-uh-reyt ] Deteriorate. Deteriorate. Deteriorate. 4. Explicit · Don't worry. Almost everyone sounds a little funny ·