What are the 10 Most Difficult Words to Pronounce in English?

Ten Hard Words to Say in English for Spanish Speakers

English isn’t simple. Therefore, English students may find it challenging at first. Not only because of the odd spelling rules but also because the words themselves can be hard to pronounce. While we could have listed dozens of words here. However, we offer ten that have been known to give even the most advanced students problems with reading aloud correctly.

Word Selection

• We chose these 10 Difficult English words for two main reasons:

Firstly, Frequency. The frequency of how often these words are needed is high. It’s because they are so common in everyday life, and we use them without even thinking about them. For this reason, they are essential to master.

And the second main reason, Student Observations. Our group of English Teachers discussed this topic thoroughly. We debated over some of the choices, but in the end, we agreed that all of these words gave many of our most advanced students problems when trying to perform natural conversation.

The Top Ten List of Hard To Pronounce English Words

#10 Comfortable
sounds like: kuhmf·tr·bl

#9 Restaurant
sounds like: reh·str·aant

#8 Island 
sounds like: ai·luhnd

#7 Strategic
sounds like: struh·tee·juhk

#6 Dangerous
sounds like: dayn·jr·uhs

#5 Thirtieth 
sounds like: thur·tee·uhth

#4 Vegetable
sounds like: vej·tuh·bl

#3 Special
sounds like: speh·shl

#2 Thorough
sounds like: thur·ow

The hardest word in English to say correctly is: 
#1 Birthday
sounds like: burth·day

Overcome Pronunciation Issues

What is the best way to learn how to speak the most challenging English words correctly?

One way is to find a native English-speaking teacher or a friend who speaks English as their first language. Then, mimic that native speaker. This technique is one of the easiest ways to improve your pronunciation skills. So, if you want personalized help, we encourage trying our private English classes.

Another way to practice with zero cost is to use Google’s pronunciation tool. It allows learners to listen to words as many times as needed.

But we also recommend the New York English Teacher’s free online lessons. These free online lessons let you Listen, Write, and Speak. This methodology engages all your senses, so a student can quickly master each word more completely.

When you are ready, open our practice page and test yourself. It’s a fun way to confirm your skill level. It also gives you a confidence boost when you pass all the practice questions.