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Apr 28, 2020 · The English language is full of wacky words, including many that are hard to pronounce or say. Read through the word lists and see if you can pronounce them all correctly without looking at the explanations.
- Accessory
- Anemone
- Choir
- Colonel
- Coup
- Epitome
- Espresso
- February
- Hyperbole
- Isthmus
The double C in accessory is part of what makes this word tricky. People are often tempted to replace the C with a single S sound. However, each of these C letters represents a different sound (a “hard C” and a “soft C”). With that in mind, accessory is pronounced [ ak-ses–uh-ree ].
This word is so hard to pronounce that it was even featured as a joke in the popular Pixar film Finding Nemo. There are two elements that make the word anemone tricky—the preponderance of M and N sounds and the [ uh-nee ] ending that looks like it should be pronounced like the number one. That said, this word does have a particular rhythm to it tha...
It’s tempting to pronounce the CH in choir with a [ ch ] sound, but that would be incorrect. The word choir is actually pronounced [ kwahyuhr ]. An antique and sadly obsolete spelling of this word is quire, which is a clearer representation of how it is pronounced.
The word colonel came to English through French, where it was spelled coronel. For historical reasons, which you can read about at our entry for the word, the R was eventually replaced with an L. Keeping this in mind, colonel is still pronounced [ kur-nl ]. Learn about where colonels sit in military rankings, here.
Another word that has been adopted into English from French, complicating pronunciation, is coup. In French, the letters -oup at the end of a word is pronounced [ oo ]. We didn’t just adopt this French word into English, we adopted the French pronunciation, too. That means coupis correctly pronounced [ koo ].
In words that have been adopted into English from Greek, it is typical to pronounce all of the vowels. This is how we get the pronunciation epitome, from the Greek epitomḗ. Unlike many words in English, the final -e here is not silent; epitome is pronounced [ ih-pit–uh-mee ].
Coffee snobs love to correct folks on their pronunciation of the word espresso. It’s tempting to replace that first S with an X, because ex– is a common prefix in English. However, the word comes from Italian and is correctly pronounced [ e-spres-oh ]. Sip on even more coffee terms that may be easier to pronounce but are just as tricky to spell.
The word February is often pronounced as if the first R is not present: [ feb-yoo-er-ee ]. This is because R sounds and Y sounds are quite closely related. Therefore, this is considered a correct pronunciation of the word. However, it is also considered correct to pronounce the R, as in [ feb-roo-er-ee ].
Like the other words from Greek we have covered, the final -e in hyperbole is not silent. Hyperbole, from the Greek hyperbolḗ, is correctly pronounced [ hahy-pur-buh-lee ].
The word isthmus presents a challenge of pronunciation when read aloud, because most English speakers would be tempted to pronounce the TH in this word. However, in this case, the TH is silent, making the correct pronunciation [ is-muhs ]. Another word you may be familiar with that has a silent TH is asthma [ az-muh].
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. If reading “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is scary enough, you are not alone! Even native speakers have a hard time with it, given that it is one of the longest words in the English language.
- Colonel. “Colonel” is a tricky English word because its pronunciation is so different from its spelling. Rather than “co-lo-nel,” you pronounce this one as “ker-nel”—like a corn kernel!
- Necessary. The adjective “necessary” is easy to misspell (like “neccesary” or “nesesarry”). It is also confusing to pronounce, since the “c” and the “s” have the same sound as in “said” and the “y” is pronounced like an “i.”
- Ironic. “Ironic” is difficult not only because of how it is pronounced (eye-RO-nick) but also because of its multiple meanings. Also, if you first came across this adjective through Alanis Morissette’s song of the same name, please know that “ironic” does not simply mean bad things that happen to you.
A complete list of 80 complex words in spelling, pronunciation and and definitions. They are some of the most difficult words know in the English language vocabulary and some of the most unknown words.
Jun 10, 2024 · 100+ Difficult Words in English with Meaning and Sentences. Difficult words in English are words that are challenging to read, write, pronounce, or understand. The difficulty of a word can depend on factors such as its length, complexity, or unfamiliarity.
Oct 3, 2018 · There’s no shortage of hard words to pronounce in the world. The English language has beauty to it, but admittedly, it’s filled with some confusing grammar rules and words that makes us...
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Jun 19, 2023 · Are you sick of having trouble pronouncing hard English words? We are here to help you master the most challenging words, from common words with silent letters to tongue twisters that leave you speechless, so stick around!
