English is famous for its challenging spellings and pronunciations. To use a popular example, we have “tough,” “through,” “though” and “trough,” each ending in “ough” and each pronounced wildly differently. This is likely why English is one of the only languages with spelling bees: other languages have spelling that is so predictable, there’s not much guesswork involved in spelling.
We took on the task, then, of looking at some of the hardest words to spell. None of them are rare — yes, there are chemistry terms that are very difficult, but those aren’t very interesting — but each of them has gotten us a squiggly red line when we’ve written them before. After that, we tackle the hardest words to pronounce, which have their own quirks to uncover.
The Hardest Words To Spell In English
In English, there are two main reasons for why a word might be hard to spell. One is that it comes from another language, which means that the spellings reflect that language and not English. Of the 10 words we list below, all 10 trace their roots back to a different language. Another is that English pronunciation has changed but the spelling of a word has not. The word “Wednesday” for example used to be pronounced similar to how it’s spelled, but over time has been shortened to “WENNS-day.”
Top 10 Hardest Words To Spell
- Accommodate: Originating from Latin, this word is often misspelled as “accomodate” or “acommodate.” Remember, it has two c’s and two m’s.
- Conscientious: This word, derived from Latin, is frequently misspelled as “consciencious.”
- Rhythm: Borrowed from Greek, this word often appears as “rythm” or “rythym.” It has no vowels except y, which is rare in English.
- Supersede: Often misspelled as “supercede,” this word comes from Latin.
- Indict: This word, borrowed from Latin, is often misspelled as “indite.” Remember, the c is silent.
- Pharaoh: Originating from Egyptian, this word is frequently misspelled as “pharoah.” The a comes before the o, which isn’t very common in English..
- Pronunciation: Often misspelled as “pronounciation,” this word comes from Latin. One tip is to think of how it’s pronounced “pro-nun-ci-a-tion,” not “pro-noun-ci-a-tion.”
- Bureaucracy: Borrowed from French, this word is often misspelled as “bureacracy.” It may be easier to spell if you pay attention the fact it has “bureau” in it.
- Quarantine: This word, derived from Italian, is frequently misspelled as “quarentine.”
- Fuchsia: Often misspelled as “fuschia,” this word comes from German. It can be helpful to know it’s named after the botanist Leonhart Fuchs.
Too easy for you? We focussed on the words that you might actually run into for this list, but you can see some non-native English speakers take on spelling bee-level words in this video.
The Hardest Words to Pronounce in English
What makes a word hard to pronounce is a bit different from what makes it hard to spell. You might have no trouble spelling “sixth,” but that cluster of consonants at the end can trip up any tongue. Phonetic complexity, unfamiliar sounds and tongue-twisters will have even the most skilled speakers stumbling for words.
Top 10 Hardest Words to Pronounce
- Worcestershire: Originating from Old English, this word is pronounced “WUSS-ter-sheer.” A tip is to ignore the middle syllables.
- Rural: This word, derived from Latin, is often pronounced as “roo-ral.” Remember, it has two r’s.
- Phenomenon: Borrowed from Greek, this word is pronounced “fi-NOM-uh-non.”
- Squirrel: This word, originating from Old English, is pronounced “SKWIR-ul.”
- Anemone: Borrowed from Greek, this word is pronounced “uh-NEM-uh-nee.” This word’s difficulty to pronounce was immortalized in Pixar’s Finding Nemo.
- Isthmus: This word, derived from Greek, is pronounced “IS-muss.”
- Colonel: Borrowed from French, this word is pronounced “KUR-nul.”
- Sixth: This word, originating from Old English, is pronounced “siksth.”
- Onomatopoeia: Borrowed from Greek, this word is pronounced “on-uh-mat-uh-PEE-uh.”
- Mischievous: This word, derived from Old French, is pronounced “MIS-chuh-vus.”
Conclusion
Mastering difficult words in English is not just about memorization; it involves understanding the language’s unique quirks and practicing regularly. By exploring the hardest words to spell and pronounce, you can improve your language skills and gain confidence in your communication abilities. Keep challenging yourself!