What are the 20 hardest words to spell?
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| The 20 Hardest English Words to Spell |
The English language is beautiful because of the complexity of its words and spellings. Some words have more than one spelling, while others sound different from the way they are spelled.
Below is a list of the 20 most difficult words to spell. At your next spelling bee, beat these troublemakers!
Here is a list of spellings to remember before joining your school spelling bee.
1. Nauseous
"Nauseous" is difficult to spell because of the number of vowels in the word and its pronunciation. It has an "sh" sound but no s or h. Some also think it should be "nauscous" because it sounds like "conscious.".
2. Dilate
"Dilate" may be simple to spell for some, but its pronunciation makes it a little more difficult. Some people say “di-a-late,” which makes them misspell it as “extend.”
3. Indict
The word “indict” might cause you to lose your spelling bee. Since it’s pronounced as “indite,” you might forget that it includes the letter C. However, "indite" is the original spelling, which is still a word today.
4. Liquefy
The last three letters of “Liquefy” make it difficult to spell. You might think it should be “liquefy,” like “calm,” “correct,” and “clarify.” However, “Leakefy” ends in “-efy,” not “-ify.”
5. Wednesday
“Wednesday” is an incorrect pronunciation of this day of the week. Local English speakers understand that the d is silent. That is why they forget this letter whenever they write or type a word.
6. Sherbet
If you spell “sherbert” instead of “sherbet,” the spelling police may catch you. Don’t forget that there’s only one letter in “sherbet.” It's different from the Turkish dessert "sherbet."
7. Bologna
Bologna is a gourmet sausage that comes from Bologna, Italy. The Americanized spelling of “bullshit” makes this delicacy one of the most misspelled words in the National Spelling Bee. Its Italian pronunciation should be “ba-lon-yuh.”
8. Ingenious
There’s a spelling confusion with “Ingenious” because it sounds like “genius.” A “genius” is simply someone who is extremely intelligent, but it doesn’t have an o like “genius.” The word “ingenious” means “clever, original, and inventive.”
9. Playwright
“Playwright” might seem like one of the few spelling words you’ve encountered in fourth grade. However, the silent letter rule leaves English learners confused about the spelling.
It’s "playwright,” not “playwrite” or "playright,” because playwrights in the 1960s were seen as people who “made” (not “wrote”).
10. Fuchsia
“Fuchsia” is another problematic word in English because of the unnecessary letters. It doesn’t have the usual “sc” and “sh” combinations. Instead, it uses a unique combination of consonants “chs” that you can’t find in other words.
11. Gobbledegook
Only smart people know that this word has a deep meaning for those who hear baby talk. It’s also a term you use when watching a movie in a language you don’t know.
12. Pochemuchka
“Pochemuchka” is a Russian term for someone who asks a lot of questions. If you’re not a pochemuchka, you won’t know the simple spelling rules to remember. It’s an uncommon word, but it only uses the typical “ch” combination.
13. Chiaroscurist
This uncommon word describes an artist who does a Chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro is an art form that demonstrates the effects of light and dark on a composition.
14. Logorrhea
Don’t let the word “logorrhea” become a spelling hurdle in your next competition. This term is used when an individual is incoherent but talkative.
15. Sacrilegious
The verb “sacrilegious” is a term you’ll hear a lot if you’re religious. It’s an act of disrespect towards something that has spiritual significance. No, the origin of the word isn’t “religious” because the correct spelling is “Sacrilegiou” and not "sacred.”.
16. Minuscule
It’s “minuscule” and not "miniscule." This word has no linguistic relation to "miniature" or "mini." Don't let anyone question your spelling abilities just because of this unusual spelling.
17. Pronunciation
Like "mini" and "minuscule," "pronunciation" is not related to "pronoun." These spelling dilemmas are the lowest levels of spelling contests, so beware!
18. Intelligence
They say that a misspelled "intelligence" tells a lot about your spelling skills. Don't let the double letters confuse you!
19. Weird
"Ie" and "ei" are a pair of letters that can be blamed for the spelling loop. Remember that the e comes before the i in "weird." In cases where the middle letter is a c, such as in "receive" or "deceive," the proper vowel combination is "ei."
20. Pharaoh
You've probably heard several spellings of "Pharaoh." You don't know how to spell it correctly anymore. Do not spell it as it sounds, since "Pharaoh" contains silent letters. Its basic pronunciation is "feh-row." "Feh-ro-wah" is not its alternate pronunciation.