Hardest word to read in the world

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 pop up into my head right now. If you cannot think of any at the moment, here are a few words that are likely to have interrupted you in a conversation in the past. Which one of them is your favourite most difficult English word to pronounce?

7. Rural

This word could arguably be further down the list, but I wanted to give you a start with a word that makes everyone stop and say the word over and over again. Somehow you also always have the urge to show that you are convinced you are able to pronounce it. I don’t know why. Well, of course, you then you have to prove it, no question.

6. Sixth

In sixth, is the word “sixth.” Written it never seems as such a difficult word, but when your mouth gets to the word “sixth” your tongue just naturally refuses to perfectly pronounce this word. But don’t worry, nobody’s perfect.

5. Sesquipedalian

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. But no, just ‘long.’

4. Phenomenon

Some words are just a phenomenon when it comes to reading and writing. You get so tangled up with letters that you have to start over and say it again very slowly to not get confused. Phenonmenon is one of them. No, wait, ‘P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-O-N’. There we go!

3. Onomatopoeia

Referring to words that are similar to sounds or noises, these words are often used for “boom” or “buzz.” Although the imitated words are usually very short, the word onomatopoeia is weirdly long and difficult to pronounce. Just looking at the word makes me stutter. But just like everything else, practice makes perfect.

2. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

For every Mary Poppins fan this word is easier to pronounce than the word ‘pronounce’ itself, especially with a lot more wit. The easiest way to practice this word is either by singing or by breaking it up into small parts. You will see, after a bit of practice you will be able to express something ‘extraordinarily good’ in a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious manner. Another reason to watch Mary Poppins again!

1. Worcestershire

Without any doubt this is one of the most tongue twisting single words out there. It will make you feel small and untalented, or it will make you laugh until you cry, one of them. Historically being a county of west central England, it is also a unique sauce for food and drink (yes, also drinks), sometimes also called ‘Worcester sauce’.

To give you a little hint on how to pronounce it, the first ‘R’ in the word is silent. It is still a difficult word, but if you are having difficulties with this one, you are definitely not alone, I am certain of that.

“Worcestershire”. “Choir”. “Sixth”. For some, these words may seem relatively normal and everyday – but to others, they represent an unrivalled linguistic challenge.

For almost two weeks, users of the online social platform reddit have been submitting what they consider to be “the hardest English word to pronounce”.

After more than 5,000 submissions, the message thread has become a fount of difficult vocabulary, with users from across the world sharing their favourites and personal experiences.

There are references to popular culture, some very creative tongue-twisters – and because of reddit’s points system, a rough consensus has emerged as to which are the hardest.

Here are the top 10:

10 — Rural

Submitted by user ‘mattythedog’, rural appears to cause problem particularly when repeated or put next a word with similar “r” sounds.

One user says: “I cannot say Rural Juror — comes out rurrrerr jerrrerr and sounds like I’m growling.”

A self-confessed Australian user says: “An aussie would pronounce it ‘ruhral jurah.”

“This one is entirely impossible for me as a German,” says another. “’Squirrel’ I can manage, but ‘rural’ can f*** right off.”

Best tongue-twister: “I want to be a juror on a rural brewery robbery case.”

9 — Otorhinolaryngologist

One user, going for a word largely on the basis of its length, suggests this medical term for an ear-, nose- and throat-doctor.

But, as another points out, “that one looks like a beast, but once you break it down, it’s pretty easy to say”.

User THLycanthrope says: “Once you know what it is, it’s much easier. “oto-rhino-laryng-ologist” is literally “ear-nose-throat-scientist”.

8 — Colonel

Submitted by a user who explains: “If you know that it’s pronounced «kernel», it’s easy to pronounce. But if you were new to the English language and didn’t know that, you would never pronounce it correctly.”

Another offers the “fun fact” that: “We took the French spelling (spelled and pronounced with r) and the Italian pronunciation (also spelled with an l).”

7 – Penguin

An overt reference to Benedict Cumberbatch, one user offered this popular submission presumably as an excuse to re-watch this video of the actor voicing a BBC documentary on the South Pacific.

Other users, presumably sticking up for penguin-kind, then try to pronounce Cumberbatch’s name: “Barelyspeaks Cantpronounce”, “Bumpercar Clutchisburnt” and “Buffalo Custardbath” are among the offerings.

6 – Sixth

Coincidentally sixth in our list, this word is rather explicitly criticised as: “What kind of word is that with an S and xth sound? F*** that noise.”

Best tongue-twister: “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”

One user responds: “English is my only language but f*** you this is impossible.”

Another says: “Imagine what ‘eighth’ is like to a non-English speaker. Not one letter is pronounced the way it should be.”

5 — Isthmus

Submitted presumably due to the difficulty of the “s” and “th” sounds together, it means a narrow strip of land with sea on either side that connects two larger landmasses.

“Ithmuth,” is one reddit user’s attempt.

4 – Anemone

Entered for consideration by one user who couldn’t even spell it, writing: “Annemm… amennome… annemmoneme… f***.”

Best tongue-twister: “In me, many an enemy anemone enema.”

Helpful advice provided by one user suggested: “I’d break it down like ‘Uh — Nem — Uh – Knee’.”

3 — Squirrel

One user says that: “From a foreign perspective, ‘Squirrel’ messes with German exchange students like you wouldn’t believe. To be fair though I can’t pronounce their word for it either.”

User ‘Torvaun’ provides the interesting (unverified) fact that during the Second World War, both sides apparently used each-other’s word for this small rodent as a test for spies.

“Interestingly,” Torvaun says, “in WWII ‘squirrel’ was used as a shibboleth by the English to detect Germans, and ‘Eichhörnchen’, the German word for squirrel, was used as a shibboleth to detect non-Germans.”

2 – Choir

User Kaktu submits: “As a foreign speaker: Choir. Seriously. Why?

Someone suggests helpfully that “it’s like ‘enquire’ but without the ‘en’”.

And bright spark ‘Gnat27’ says, to much popular acclaim: “I read that as ‘Enrique’ and was confused for a solid 5 minutes.”

1 – Worcestershire

The top submission, as one user puts it, “To the USA, anyway”.

“I’ve heard a few funny pronunciations,” says user ‘hornytoad69’. “Wor-kester-shire. Whats-dis-here. Wooster-shire”

One user suggests: “It’s that ‘-cest-’ in the middle that messes people up. If you break it up like worce-ster-shire, the pronunciation makes sense.”

Others suggest similar British place names that aren’t pronounced as they are written, developing a theme, with “Leicester/Leicestershire”, “Edinburgh” and “Derby” all getting a mention.

Living in the age of auto-correct and Google search, there is less of an emphasis on spelling as there once was. But its importance can’t be denied.

When writing a resume, a proposal or a school assignment, a misspelled word can be the difference between getting a job and missing out or getting the marks needed to pass an assignment or not.

We don’t recommend trying to use any of the words below in your next important document, they are some of the hardest words to spell in the English language.

10. Misspell 

Let the misspelling begin with the misspelled word misspell. While this is number ten in our list of misspelled words, it’s certainly number one in most ironic misspelled words that occur in a spelling bee. Misspelling misspell is like forgetting your phone number, you have seen it all the time and yet when you stop and think about it, it slips your mind.

9. Pharaoh 

This misspelled word falls into the error category of ‘you spell it like it sounds’. This term is used to refer to the ruler of ancient Egypt and like an ancient Egyptian ruler, this word will play a tyrant in your mind as it controls your every thought after you have been eliminated for spelling it “pharoh”.

8. Weird  

Fear the confusing power of the’ I before E’! This literary rule is viewed as an absolute but there are exceptions. Fitting of the many exceptions to the rule that weird is one of them, as that is what is often thought of the word weird when it is misspelled.

7. Intelligence 

The word that can be a shot to the ego when misspelled, intelligence being misspelled often creates the most reflection of intellectual state than any other. Its definition of being a measurement of one’s mental ability tends to relate to the fact that you struggled to use your intelligence to spell intelligence.

100+ Spelling Bee Words That Can Make Every Student Feel Like a Spelling Champion

Read it here

6. Pronunciation

A term related to the thing that brings the marriage of words and spelling, pronunciation is the act in which a word is spoken. This is a trap in a spelling bee (both the word itself and its meaning) as the manner in which a word is spoken can be misleading compared to how the word is written out. That’s why the nifty trick of using your finger in the air to write out the word is often used.

5. Handkerchief

Whether used as a decorative pocket accessory or as a tissue you don’t throw out, the handkerchief is useful as a versatile fashion statement and a spelling bee hurdle. Wipe away the emotional highs and lows of spelling competition in style with this handy tool of cleanliness.

4. logorrhea 

Do you have a chatter monster in your class? Next time they participate in a spelling bee, try to slip this word into their spelling bee to see if their babble is up to par. logorrhea is a term used when an individual is excessive and incoherent in talkativeness and wordiness.

3. Chiaroscurist 

A term used to describe an artist who specialises in chiaroscuro (pictorial representation of light and dark and its effect on composition). Much like the term itself, contrast the dark and the light by shedding some light on someone’s literary ability with a word that is so difficult to spell it’s dark.

2. Pochemuchka

A Russian term used when a person asks too many questions. One can’t help but think that maybe if I were more pochemuchka, I would have been informed on how to spell this word.

1. Gobbledegook

Gobbledegook is incoherent babbling in a fashion that makes no sense amounting to random words and noises to your listeners. Gobbledegook is a word that in fact sounds like complete gobbledegook, but in actuality is a word that has deep meaning for anyone who has ever heard an infant speak or watched a TV show in another language.

There are so many words with spellings that just don’t appear to make sense in the English language. Many students have many worries when writing an essay or paper with so many hard words to spell. Although we live in an age where autocorrect is the new fad, the importance of spelling correctly can not be denied. It is always hard to spell words that do not appear the way they sound.

To aid school graders, college students, and adults alike, we have some of the hardest words to spell. This list of hard words to spell spans across words that are hard to spell for all categories of students and adults. Are you ready to go through our list of very hard words to spell? Here’s our list of top 100 hardest words to spell. Let’s explore!

Hardest Words To Spell Ever

The English language could be a real pest, even for native speakers. Sometimes, the spelling of some words seems to slip out of our heads the very times we need them, while sometimes, we just don’t know how to spell some words and make funny typos.

There are many hard English words to spell. A word may be difficult to spell for many reasons. It could be because it is from a language very different from the English language, e.g., Afrikaans, Sanskrit, etc., or because the pronunciation is very different from the spelling. A word can also be difficult if it has a silent letter or more or a peculiar double letter. Here’s a list of some super hard word to spell!

1. Abacaxi
2. Abgesang
3. Aitch
4. Autochthonous
5. Chiaroscurist
6. Coelacanth
7. Kierkegaardian

Long Hard Words To Spell

1. Antidisestablishmentarianism
2. Floccinaucinihilipilification
3. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis
4. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
5. Psychoneuroendocrinological
6. Hepaticocholangiogastrostomy
7. Spectrophotofluorometrically

Easy Words That Are Hard To Spell

Surprisingly, some of the easiest words to spell in the English language often get misspelled. The words are usually so common and have been used so commonly that it’s unbelievable to know that many can’t spell it correctly – including you! So here’s a list of common words that are hard to spell.

1. Misspell
2. Pharaoh
3. Weird
4. Intelligence
5. Pronunciation
6. Handkerchief
7. Logorrhea

Hard Words To Spell For 6th Graders

If you are looking for a nice spelling challenge for a 6th grader, you’re in the right place. Take a look at these hardest English words to spell for 6th graders.

1. Noticeable
2. Vacuum
3. Recommend
4. Chaos
5. Accommodation
6. Accidentally
7. Strengthen
8. Pneumonia
9. Acknowledgment
10. Occasion
11. Descendant
12. Liaison

Hard Words To Spell For 7th Graders

Looking for a 7th grade selling challenge, here are some really hard words to spell for 7th graders.

1. Association
2. Atmosphere
3. Bicycle
4. Corollary
5. Confetti
6. Defalcation
7. Bizarre
8. Braggadocio
9. Echelon
10. Gelatinous
11. Panache
12. Xylem

Hard Words To Spell For 8th Graders

1. Condescend
2. Discernible
3. Concede
4. Assuage
5. Contemptuous
6. Imprudent
7. Conscience
8. Bazaar
9. Ferocious
10. Pistachio
11. Eloquent
12. Lucrative

Hard Words To Spell For 9th Graders

1. Stretch
2. Substantial
3. Superintendent
4. Pageant
5. Pamphlet
6. Parachute
7. Nuisance
8. Omitted
9. Tyranny
10. Unanimous
11. Vengeance
12. Villain

Hard Words To Spell For 12th Graders

1. Absolution
2. Acerbic
3. Adumbrate
4. Dearth
5. Encumber
6. Expunge
7. Insidious
8. Penurious
9. Resplendent
10. Saccharine
11. Scurrilous

Hard Words To Spell For College Students

1. Arctic
2. Australia
3. Caribbean
4. Euclidean
5. Presbyterian
6. Teutonic
7. Abysmal
8. Boulevard
9. Bouillon
10. Bourgeois

Hard Words To Spell For Adults

1. Acquiesce
2. Andragogy
3. Criterion
4. Holistic
5. Incongruous
6. Juxtaposition
7. Malapropism
8. Obfuscate
9. Onomatopoeia
10. Soliloquy

There are many spelling rules in the English language that often, it’s difficult to remember which applies. Learning how to spell hard words is a bane to students and adults alike. But don’t fret, we have some proven techniques that will make you conquer most words and spell them with ease.

It may be considered rather unfortunate that the old-fashioned rote memorization method remains the best way to learn how to spell the hardest words. However, memorization techniques have gotten better, making the learning process much more bearable.

There are several mnemonic training techniques and methods used by champion spellers worldwide, such as kinetic learning. This learning technique is the association of mental concepts with a series of movements which make learning much fun and retentive than mere repetition. So here are some tips for learning how to spell hard words!

1. Trace the Letters

   With one hand, track the letters on your palm as you pronounce them. This method is an easy way to apply kinetic learning. You use three learning pathways that reinforce the words in the memory. These are:

   • The motion of your mouth and lips
   • The movement of the fingers of one hand moving
   • The feeling of the motion on the other palm

   For a more active learning experience, you can engage the larger body. Also, movement makes more blood flow to the brain, making it more active and receptive.
2. Vocalize the Letters

   Another useful tool is to vocalize the letters of the words as you learn them. Repetition words by vocalization give those words a melodic feel, imprinting them more firmly on your mind, just like nursery rhymes. If used appropriately, this leaning method will help you recall words when other methods fail.

3. Design Short Study Sessions

   Short study sessions are usually more effective for long-term memorization. When you take breaks, the brain can refresh itself and get ready to take a new set of words without becoming overwhelmed.

4. Use Repetitive Drills

   It usually takes more than one repetition to get spelling correct consistently. Repeat the words you want to learn many times until it sinks into your mind and becomes melodic.

5. Group The Words

   This is another effective strategy for learning how to spell hard words. Grouping words imply that you put words that follow the same spelling pattern in a group. For example, words with “-ei-“combinations will follow the same pattern. Learning all similar words at the same time will help you build association and reinforce spellings. This method will help you to categorize words, which makes memorization much more manageable.

6. Read, Read, Read

   One of the best methods to learn how to spell words is to increase your reading. By merely reading and consuming a wide variety of books like wildfire, you’ll become a spelling champion without knowing it. Reading simply makes all the above rules much less confusing. You’ll also be able to build your intuition level and know just when a spelling looks wrong.

7. Have Fun

   Learning becomes easier if you can apply fun to it. Take the words you want to memorize and see how you can weave fun into it!

So here we are! 100 hard words to spell and how to learn to spell hard words. Wishing you luck in your spelling bee and life in general! If you need homework help, just contact our English assignment helpers.