Language may probably be the greatest invention in human history. We shifted from simple sounds to creating complex sentences to communicate with ease. But after so many years and shifts, it is not surprising that there are some difficult words that even the best spellers and speakers can’t quite articulate. As we communicate through writing and speaking, some difficult English words can be a thorn in the side when you’re speaking at a business meeting or writing an important letter to someone. While modern technology, like autocorrect, has eliminated the need to double-check a word when writing, it is still a wonder just how difficult words in English can be!
With millions of words to choose from and use in different combinations, it can be seen as art, when a person can use even the hardest words with ease. Hard words can be the elements that separate a work of literature from the sea of mediocrity. An idea can only be fully realized by the words that are used to explain it. Of course, when it comes to speaking, there is a long list of hard words to pronounce, due to their complexity and rare usage. In the heat of the moment, a word can become the thing that ruins a great speech and puts the speaker in an awkward situation. And who wants to be in that position?
As the English dictionary keeps getting bigger with every word added, now should be a good time to check up on your English skills. In the list below, you can check out some of the most difficult words to spell that you might be using every day unknowingly. Upvote the ones that you use or hear being used commonly and comment below if you’ve ever used them in a letter or speech in the wrong way. No worries, no one is judging!
#1
Sanctimonious.
[sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uhs]
Meaning: making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#2
Gratuitous.
[gruh-too-i-tuhs]
Meaning: being without apparent reason, cause, or justification.
Image source: dictionary.com
#3
Egregious.
[ih-gree-juhs]
Meaning: extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.
Image source: dictionary.com
#4
Mischievous.
[mis-chuh-vuhs]
Meaning: maliciously or playfully annoying.
Image source: dictionary.com
#5
Eclectic.
[ih-klek-tik]
Meaning: selecting or choosing from various sources.
Image source: dictionary.com
#6
Throughout.
[throo-out]
Meaning: in or to every part of; everywhere in.
Image source: dictionary.com
#7
Inchoate.
[in-koh-eyt]
Meaning: not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
Image source: dictionary.com
#8
Recalcitrant.
[ri-kal-si-truhnt]
Meaning: resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.
Image source: dictionary.com
#9
Ubiquitous.
[yoo-bik-wi-tuhs]
Meaning: existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent.
Image source: dictionary.com
#10
Antidisestablishmentarianism.
[an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muhn-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm]
Meaning: opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, especially the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.
Image source: dictionary.com
#11
Defibrillator.
[dee-fahy-bruh-ley-ter]
Meaning: an agent or device for arresting fibrillation of the atrial or ventricular muscles of the heart.
Image source: dictionary.com
#12
Sphygmomanometer.
[sfig-moh-muh-nom-i-ter]
Meaning: an instrument, often attached to an inflatable air-bladder cuff and used with a stethoscope, for measuring blood pressure in an artery.
Image source: dictionary.com
#13
Rural.
[roor-uh]
Meaning: in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.
Image source: dictionary.com
#14
Otorhinolaryngology.
[oh-toh-rahy-noh-lar-ing-gol-uh-jee]
Meaning: a medical specialty concerned especially with the ear, nose, and throat and related parts of the head and neck.
Image source: merriam-webster.com
#15
Fünfhundertfünfundfünfzig.
[fünf-hun-dert-fünf-und-fünf-zig]
Meaning: five hundred fifty-five in German.
Image source: wiktionary.org
#16
Colloquialism.
[kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhm]
Meaning: characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
Image source: dictionary.com
#17
Anachronistic.
[uh-nak-ruh-nis-tik]
Meaning: something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.
Image source: dictionary.com
#18
Onomatopoeia.
[on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh]
Meaning: the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
Image source: dictionary.com
#19
Worcestershire.
[woos-ter-sheer]
Meaning: a former county in central England, now part of Hereford and Worcester.
Image source: dictionary.com
#20
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
[llan-fair-pwll-gwyn-gyll-go-ger-ych-wyrn-drob-wll-llan-ty-silio-go-go-goch]
Meaning: the name of a village in Carmarthenshire, which means “a quiet, beautiful village; a historic place with rare kite under threat from wretched blades”.
Image source: wikitravel.org, llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk
#21
Specificity.
[spes-uh-fis-i-tee]
Meaning: the quality or state of being specific.
Image source: dictionary.com
#22
Apocryphal.
[uh-pok-ruh-fuhl]
Meaning: of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
Image source: dictionary.com
#23
Demagogue.
[dem-uh-gog]
Meaning: a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.
Image source: dictionary.com
#24
Epitome.
[ih-pit-uh-mee]
Meaning: a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class.
Image source: dictionary.com
#25
Forte.
[fawr-tey]
Meaning: a person’s strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in.
Image source: dictionary.com
#26
Grandiloquent.
[gran-dil-uh-kwuhnt]
Meaning: speaking or expressed in a lofty style, often to the point of being pompous or bombastic.
Image source: dictionary.com
#27
Mauve.
[mohv]
Meaning: a pale bluish purple.
Image source: dictionary.com
#28
Vicissitude.
[vi-sis-i-tood]
Meaning: a change or variation occurring in the course of something.
Image source: dictionary.com
#29
Aggrandize.
[uh-gran-dahyz]
Meaning: to widen in scope; increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.
Image source: dictionary.com
#30
Beguile.
[bih-gahyl]
Meaning: to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#31
Camaraderie.
[kah-muh-rah-duh-ree]
Meaning: a spirit of trust and goodwill among people closely associated in an activity or endeavor.
Image source: dictionary.com
#32
Refrigerator.
[ri-frij-uh-rey-ter]
Meaning: a box, room, or cabinet in which food, drink, etc., are kept cool by means of ice or mechanical refrigeration.
Image source: dictionary.com
#33
Hippopotamus.
[hip-uh-pot-uh-muhs]
Meaning: a large herbivorous mammal, Hippopotamus amphibius, having a thick hairless body, short legs, and a large head and muzzle, found in and near the rivers, lakes, etc., of Africa, and able to remain under water for a considerable time.
Image source: dictionary.com
#34
Nadir.
[ney-der, ney-deer]
Meaning: the point on the celestial sphere directly beneath a given position or observer and diametrically opposite the zenith.
Image source: dictionary.com
#35
Pulchritude.
[puhl-kri-tood]
Meaning: physical beauty; comeliness.
Image source: dictionary.com
#36
Timbre.
[tam-ber]
Meaning: the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance.
Image source: dictionary.com
#37
Truculent.
[truhk-yuh-luhnt]
Meaning: aggressively hostile; belligerent.
Image source: dictionary.com
#38
Construe.
[kuhn-stroo]
Meaning: to give the meaning or intention of; explain; interpret.
Image source: dictionary.com
#39
Convivial.
[kuhn-viv-ee-uhl]
Meaning: friendly; agreeable:
Image source: dictionary.com
#40
Equanimity.
[ee-kwuh-nim-i-tee]
Meaning: mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.
Image source: dictionary.com
#41
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
[soo-per-kal-uh-fraj-uh-lis-tik-ek-spee-al-i-doh-shuhs]
Meaning: used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.
Image source: dictionary.com
#42
Restaurateur.
[res-ter-uh-tur]
Meaning: the owner or manager of a restaurant.
Image source: dictionary.com
#43
Circumlocution.
[sur-kuhm-loh-kyoo-shuhn]
Meaning: a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
Image source: dictionary.com
#44
Idiosyncratic.
[id-ee-oh-sin-krat-ik]
Meaning: pertaining to the nature of idiosyncrasy, or something peculiar to an individual.
Image source: dictionary.com
#45
Libertarian.
[lib-er-tair-ee-uhn]
Meaning: a person who advocates liberty, especially with regard to thought or conduct.
Image source: dictionary.com
#46
Espouse.
[ih-spouz]
Meaning: to make one’s own; adopt or embrace, as a cause.
Image source: dictionary.com
#47
Fatuous.
[fach-oo-uhs]
Meaning: foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; witless.
Image source: dictionary.com
#48
Puerile.
[pyoo-er-il]
Meaning: of or relating to a child or to childhood.
Image source: dictionary.com
#49
Abnegation.
[ab-ni-gey-shuhn]
Meaning: the act or an instance of abnegating, or denying oneself some rights, conveniences, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#50
Vicissitude.
[vi-sis-i-tood]
Meaning: a change or variation occurring in the course of something.
Image source: dictionary.com
#51
Phenomenon.
[fi-nom-uh-non]
Meaning: a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable.
Image source: dictionary.com
#52
Cavalry.
[kav-uhl-ree]
Meaning: the part of a military force composed of troops that serve on horseback.
Image source: dictionary.com
#53
Sesquipedalian.
[ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uhn]
Meaning: given to using long words.
Image source: dictionary.com
#54
Acetylcholine.
[uh-seet-l-koh-leen]
Meaning: The acetic acid ester of choline, C7H17NO3, released and hydrolyzed during nerve conduction and causing muscle action by transmitting nerve impulses across synapses.
Image source: dictionary.com
#55
Nauseant.
[naw-zee-uhnt]
Meaning: producing nausea.
Image source: dictionary.com
#56
Girlfriend.
[gurl-frend]
Meaning: a frequent or favorite female companion; sweetheart.
Image source: dictionary.com
#57
Jewelry.
[joo-uhl-ree]
Meaning: any ornaments for personal adornment, as necklaces or cuff links, including those of base metals, glass, plastic, or the like.
Image source: dictionary.com
#58
Regularly.
[reg-yuh-ler-lee]
Meaning: usually; ordinarily.
Image source: dictionary.com
#59
Panacea.
[pan-uh-see-uh]
Meaning: a remedy for all disease or ills.
Image source: dictionary.com
#60
Phlegmatic.
[fleg-mat-ik]
Meaning: not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.
Image source: dictionary.com
#61
Enervate.
[en-er-veyt]
Meaning: to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
Image source: dictionary.com
#62
Iconoclast.
[ahy-kon-uh-klast]
Meaning: a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.
Image source: dictionary.com
#63
Ignominious.
[ig-nuh-min-ee-uhs]
Meaning: marked by or attended with ignominy; discreditable; humiliating.
Image source: dictionary.com
#64
Entrepreneur.
[ahn-truh-pruh-nur]
Meaning: a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Image source: dictionary.com
#65
Deteriorate.
[dih-teer-ee-uh-reyt]
Meaning: to make or become worse or inferior in character, quality, value, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#66
Thoroughly.
[thur-uh-lee]
Meaning: in a thorough manner or degree; completely and carefully.
Image source: dictionary.com
#67
Anemone.
[uh-nem-uh-nee]
Meaning: any of various plants belonging to the genus Anemone, of the buttercup family, having petallike sepals and including several wild species with white flowers as well as others cultivated for their showy flowers in a variety of colors.
Image source: dictionary.com
#68
Colloquial.
[kuh-loh-kwee-uhl]
Meaning: characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
Image source: dictionary.com
#69
Alias.
[ey-lee-uhs]
Meaning: a false name used to conceal one’s identity; an assumed name.
Image source: dictionary.com
#70
Debauch.
[dih-bawch]
Meaning: to corrupt by sensuality, intemperance, etc.; seduce.
Image source: dictionary.com
#71
Emollient.
[ih-mol-yuhnt]
Meaning: having the power of softening or relaxing, as a medicinal substance; soothing, especially to the skin.
Image source: dictionary.com
#72
Espresso.
[e-spres-oh]
Meaning: a strong coffee prepared by forcing live steam under pressure, or boiling water, through ground dark-roast coffee beans.
Image source: dictionary.com
#73
Quixotic.
[kwik-sot-ik]
Meaning: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
Image source: dictionary.com
#74
Staid.
[steyd]
Meaning: of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious.
Image source: dictionary.com
#75
Surfeit.
[sur-fit]
Meaning: excess; an excessive amount.
Image source: dictionary.com
#76
Alacrity.
[uh-lak-ri-tee]
Meaning: cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness.
Image source: dictionary.com
#77
Ascetic.
[uh-set-ik]
Meaning: a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
Image source: dictionary.com
#78
Cajole.
[kuh-johl]
Meaning: to persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax.
Image source: dictionary.com
#79
Callous.
[kal-uhs]
Meaning: made hard; hardened.
Image source: dictionary.com
#80
Largess.
[lahr-jes]
Meaning: generous bestowal of gifts.
Image source: dictionary.com
#81
Ostracism.
[os-truh-siz-uhm]
Meaning: exclusion, by general consent, from social acceptance, privileges, friendship, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#82
Exponentially.
[ek-spoh-nen-shuh-lee]
Meaning: at a steady, rapid rate.
Image source: dictionary.com
#83
Lackadaisical.
[lak-uh-dey-zi-kuhl]
Meaning: without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; halfhearted.
Image source: dictionary.com
#84
Stultiloquence.
[stul-til-o-quence]
Meaning: senseless or silly talk.
Image source: merriam-webster.com
#85
Turmeric.
[tur-mer-ik]
Meaning: the aromatic rhizome of an Asian plant, Curcuma domestica (or C. longa), of the ginger family.
Image source: dictionary.com
#86
Colonel.
[kur-nl]
Meaning: an officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps ranking between lieutenant colonel and brigadier general: corresponding to a captain in the U.S. Navy.
Image source: dictionary.com
#87
Accede.
[ak-seed]
Meaning: to give consent, approval, or adherence; agree; assent; to accede to a request; to accede to the terms of a contract.
Image source: dictionary.com
#88
Neophyte.
[nee-uh-fahyt]
Meaning: a beginner or novice.
Image source: dictionary.com
#89
Noisome.
[noi-suhm]
Meaning: offensive or disgusting, as an odor.
Image source: dictionary.com
#90
Quinoa.
[kee-noh-uh]
Meaning: a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa, of the amaranth family, cultivated mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple.
Image source: dictionary.com
#91
Sanguine.
[sang-gwin]
Meaning: cheerfully optimistic, sometimes to the point of seeming complacent, oblivious, or naive.
Image source: dictionary.com
#92
Blandishment.
[blan-dish-muhnt]
Meaning: Often blandishments. something, as an action or speech, that tends to flatter, coax, entice, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#93
Cognizant.
[kog-nuh-zuhnt]
Meaning: having awareness, realization, or knowledge; notice; perception.
Image source: dictionary.com
#94
Pejorative.
[pi-jawr-uh-tiv]
Meaning: having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force.
Image source: dictionary.com
#95
Vociferous.
[voh-sif-er-uhs]
Meaning: crying out noisily; clamorous.
Image source: dictionary.com
#96
Schadenfreude.
[shahd-n-froi-duh]
Meaning: satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.
Image source: dictionary.com
#97
Circumspect.
[sur-kuhm-spekt]
Meaning: watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent.
Image source: dictionary.com
#98
Isthmus.
[is-muhs]
Meaning: a narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger bodies of land.
Image source: dictionary.com
#99
Zephyr.
[zef-er]
Meaning: a gentle, mild breeze.
Image source: dictionary.com
#100
Multifarious.
[muhl-tuh-fair-ee-uhs]
Meaning: having many different parts, elements, forms, etc.
Image source: dictionary.com
#101
Quotidian.
[kwoh-tid-ee-uhn]
Meaning: daily, usual.
Image source: dictionary.com
#102
Synecdoche.
[si-nek-duh-kee]
Meaning: a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.
Image source: dictionary.com
#103
Dengue.
[deng-gey]
Meaning: an infectious, eruptive fever of warm climates, usually epidemic, characterized especially by severe pains in the joints and muscles.
Image source: dictionary.com
#104
Erinaceous.
[er-uh-ney-shuhs]
Meaning: of the hedgehog kind or family.
Image source: dictionary.com
#105
Maelstrom.
[meyl-struhm]
Meaning: a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
Image source: dictionary.com
#106
Protean.
[proh-tee-uhn]
Meaning: readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable.
Image source: dictionary.com
#107
Pertinacious.
[pur-tn-ey-shuhs]
Meaning: holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
Image source: dictionary.com
#108
Expatiate.
[ik-spey-shee-eyt]
Meaning: to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion.
Image source: dictionary.com
#109
Pauciloquy.
[pau-cil-o-quy]
Meaning: brevity in speech.
Image source: merriam-webster.com
#110
Glomerulus.
[gloh-mer-yuh-luhs]
Meaning: a compact cluster of capillaries.
Image source: dictionary.com
#111
Squirrel.
[skwur-uhl]
Meaning: any of numerous arboreal, bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Sciurus, of the family Sciuridae.
Image source: dictionary.com
#112
Anathema.
[uh-nath-uh-muh]
Meaning: a person or thing detested or loathed.
Image source: dictionary.com
#113
Ephemeral.
[ih-fem-er-uhl]
Meaning: lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory.
Image source: dictionary.com
#114
Fatuous.
[fach-oo-uhs]
Meaning: foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; witless.
Image source: dictionary.com
#115
Inveterate.
[in-vet-er-it]
Meaning: settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like.
Image source: dictionary.com
#116
Hegemony.
[hej-uh-moh-nee]
Meaning: leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.
Image source: dictionary.com
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