A detailed list of the hardest English words to spell and pronounce

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!

One of the most crucial elements of learning a new language is pronunciation. Word mispronunciation can result in a lot of misunderstandings, some of which can be amusing or even embarrassing. So it makes perfect sense that as an English learner, you would want to perfect your pronunciation so that you sound as natural as possible.

A lot of people search for why is English hard to learn, one main reason is that English has a number of words that can be challenging to pronounce, despite the fact that it may not seem like the most difficult language to do so. This is primarily due to the English language’s word-stuffing from other languages.

You may have noticed that there is a discrepancy between the pronunciation and spelling of some words in English. Sometimes, a word’s spelling or pronunciation has nothing to do with one another. In English, the phonemes (sounds) and the graphemes (written words) don’t always match up linguistically.

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. But, before we get into the list, here is a course recommendation for you.

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A list of hardest English words to spell and pronounce

Don’t let this list scare you. Instead, use it to develop your English vocabulary and pronunciation.

English	Pronunciation	Meaning
Aberrant	uh-BER-uhnt	Deviating from the norm or typical behavior.
Accessory	uhk-ses-uh-ree	Small thing you wear with clothes to add style.
Adamant	AD-uh-muhnt	Firmly refusing to change one’s mind.
Adumbrate	ad-UHM-breyt	To give a vague or sketchy outline of.
Albeit	all-BEE-it	Despite the fact that.
Almond	AL-muhnd	A small, oval.
Antarctic	ant-aark-tik	Extremely cold region in the Southern part of the world.
Apocryphal	uh-PAHK-ruh-fuhl	Of doubtful authenticity.
Archetype	AHR-kih-t	A very typical example of something.
Archipelago	AHR-kih-pel-uh-goh	A group of islands.
Ascetic	ass-et-ick	A person who practices extreme self-discipline.
Asterisk	ay-stuh-risk	The symbol: *
Athlete	ATH-leet	A person who is skilled in sports or other physical activities.
Beguile	bee-gyle	To deceive or cheat someone.
Bouquet	boo-KAY	A bunch of flowers.
Bourbon	BER-buhn	A type of whiskey made primarily from corn.
Cache	kash	A hiding place for storing away goods.
Cacophony	kuh-kof-uh-nee	Unpleasant mixture of sounds.
Cajole	kuh-johl	To persuade someone to do something by being very friendly.
Caramel	kar-uh-mel	A sweet, golden brown confectionery made by heating sugar.
Caricature	kuh-RIK-uh-cher	A representation that exaggerates the characteristic features.
Cavalry	KAV-uhl-ree	Soldiers trained to fight on horseback.
Chaos	KAY-ahs	Complete disorder and confusion.
Charcuterie	shahr-koo-tuh-REE	The branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products.
Choir	kwahy-er	A group of singers who perform together.
Clothes	klohz	Articles of clothing you wear.
Cocoa	koh-KOH	A powder made from ground roasted cocoa beans.
Colloquialism	kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhm	A word, phrase, or expression that is conversational rather than formal.
Colonel	ker-nuhl	High ranking officer in the military.
Coup	koo	A sudden seizure of power from a government.
Cryptography	krip-taw-gree-fee	Writing or solving codes.
Curmudgeon	kur-muhj-uhn	Someone who gets annoyed easily.
Debauch	di-bawch	To lead away from virtue; to corrupt morally .
Debris	DEB-ree	The remains of something that has been destroyed.
Debut	dey-BYOO	The first public performance.
Decrepit	dih-KREP-it	In a very poor condition as a result of age.
Dengue	DEN-gyoo	A viral disease spread by mosquitoes.
Deteriorate	dih-TEER-ee-uh-rayt	To become worse in quality or condition.
Diaphanous	dy-uh-fuh-nuhs	Light, delicate, and translucent.
Emollient	i-mawl-yuhnt	Making smoother or less harsh.
Entrepreneur	on-truh-pruh-nur	Someone who owns their own business.
Ephemeral	i-fem-uh-rul	Lasting for a short time.
Epistemology	ep-uh-stem-awl-uh-jee	A theory of knowledge.
Equivocal	ih-KWIV-uh-kuhl	Open to more than one interpretation.
Faux pas	foh PAH	A socially unacceptable mistake.
Fiscal	FIS-kuhl	Relating to government revenue, especially taxes.
Gibberish	jib-uh-rish	Senseless talk.
GIF	jif	A type of animated image.
Gourmet	goor-may	A connoisseur of good food.
Grandiloquent	gran-dil-uh-kwuhnt	Extravagant, lofty, or bombastic in style or manner.
Ingenuity	in-JEN-yoo-uh-tee	The ability to think of new ideas.
Interpret	in-ter-PRIT	To explain or give the meaning of something.
Ischaemia	is-kee-mee-uh	An inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body.
Island	AYL-land	A piece of land surrounded by water.
Jewelry	JOO-luh-ree	Ornaments people wear for adornment.
Juror	JOOR-er	A person selected to serve on a jury.
Liable	LY-uh-buhl	Legally responsible.
Liaison	lee-AY-zawn	A link or connection between people or organizations.
Library	LAHY-brer-ee	A collection of books.
Licentious	lahy-SEN-chuhs	Lacking moral restraint.
Mastectomy	mas-tek-tuh-mee	Operation to remove a woman’s breast.
Meme	meem	A funny image in the internet.
Misogynist	muh-saj-uh-nist	Person who hates women.
Muscle	mus-ul	A body tissue composed of cells or fibers.
Mustache	Muh-STASH	Hair growing on the upper lip.
Nadir	nay-der	The lowest point.
Narcissistic	nahr-suh-SIS-tik	Having an excessive interest in oneself.
Neophyte	nee-uh-fyt	A beginner, a new participant.
Nuclear	nyoo-klee-er	Type of powerful energy.
Nuptial	nup-shuhl	Concerning marriage.
Obdurate	AHB-doo-rayt	Stubbornly refusing to change one’s mind.
Panacea	pan-uh-see-uh	A remedy for all illness or solution for all problems.
Peremptory	per-em-tuh-ree	Speaking or behaving rudely.
Prescription	pri-skrip-shun	The action of prescribing a medicine or treatment.
Prevaricate	pri-VAIR-uh-kayt	To speak or act in an evasive way.
Probably	PRAH-buh-blee	With a high likelihood; very likely.
Pronunciation	pro-nun-see-ay-shun	The way you say a word.
Quiche	keesh	A baked flan or tart with a savoury filling thickened with eggs.
Quinoa	kee-noh-uh	A plant whose seeds we eat.
Quotidian	kwoh-tid-ee-un	Occurring or recurring daily, commonplace.
Regime	ruh-ZHEEM	A government or system of rule.
Remuneration	ri-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun	Payment or compensation for a service or work.
Rendezvous	RON-duh-voo	A meeting or appointment, especially a romantic one.
Restaurateur	res-tuh-rer-uh-tuhr	Someone who owns a restaurant.
Rhythm	RITH-uhm	A pattern of sounds or beats established in music.
Salmon	sam-un	A type of fish we eat.
Schedule	SKED-yool	A plan.
Specific	spuh-SIHF-ik	Particular or distinct; not general.
Sphygmomanometer	sfig-muh-muh-nom-uh-mee-ter	Instrument for measuring blood pressure.
Subtle	suht-l	Very precise and difficult to analyze or describe.
Suite	sweet	A set of rooms in a hotel.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious	soo-per-kal-uh-fraj-uh-lihs-tik-es-pee-shuh-li-doh-shuhs	Extraordinarily good.
Surfeit	sur-fit	An excessive amount of something.
Syllogism	sil-uh-jiz-uhm	Deductive reasoning.
Synecdoche	sin-ek-duh-kee	A figure of speech.
Triathlon	try-ATH-lon	A long-distance athletic event.
Ubiquitous	yoo-bik-wit-us	Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Valet	vuh-LAY	A man’s personal attendant.
Wintry	WIN-tree	Relating to winter.
Wisteria	wis-teer-ee-uh	A tree with beautiful pink or violet flowers.
Worcestershire	wuss-tuhr-sheer	A type of brown sauce.
Yolk	yohk	The yellow central part of an egg.
Zephyr	zef-er	A soft, mild breeze.
Zucchini	zoo-KEE-nee	A type of green summer squash.

After seeing this list, you must be wondering how many words are there in the English language. Well, the number is huge. We recommend you improve your vocabulary at a gradual pace. Don’t panic. Just keep an eye on your progress and keep moving forward. Now let’s look at some of the words that are hardest to spell.

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
Crustaceology	crus-tay-shee-aw-lo-jee	The branch of zoology that deals with the study of crustaceans.
Smaragdine	smuh-RAG-din	Of, like, or colored like an emerald.
Maculature	mac-yoo-luh-chur	An imperfection, blemish, or mark on a surface.
Milieu	meel-YOU	The social or cultural environment in which something occurs.
Staphylococci	staf-uh-loh-KAHK-sahy	A spherical gram-positive bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the nasal passages of humans.
Elegiacal	el-i-jahy–uh-kuhl	Pertaining to or characteristic of an elegy; mournful or sorrowful.
Euonym	YOO-uh-nim	A pleasing or appropriate name.
Chiaroscurist	kyahr-uh-SKYUR-ist	An artist or photographer who uses the technique of chiaroscuro.
Succedaneum	suk-suh-DAY-nee-um	A substitute or replacement for something.
Pococurante	poh-koh-koo–ran-tee	Indifferent, nonchalant, or showing little interest.
Autochthonous	ah-TAHK-thuh-nus	Native to a particular place and not originating from elsewhere.
Appoggiatura	uh-poj-uh–too-ruh	A grace note, typically a dissonant note that is played before the main note, and that is not part of the chord.
Stromuhr	straw-muhr	A device used to measure the flow rate of fluids.

Conclusion

We have highlighted the hard English words and their pronunciation. We have also included their meanings for your understanding. Do follow this list and master English vocabulary at a gradual pace.

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