Hard Words to Pronounce in English
10/24/2026
By Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, licensed speech-language pathologist
Short answer: most English words are hard to pronounce for one of five reasons. The spelling doesn't match the sound (colonel sounds like kernel), a syllable is silent (comfortable has 3 syllables, not 4), an R and a Dark L sit side by side (girl, squirrel), a TH is stuck between other consonants (months, sixth), or the T changes sound (thirty sounds like THER-dee).
The 30 words below all come from my lessons, and most of them were requests from my accent clients and YouTube viewers. For each one, I show how Americans actually say it and what makes it tricky. Capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
Why Are Some English Words So Hard to Pronounce?
English is not a phonetic language. The spelling of a word often doesn't tell you how to say it, because English borrowed words from French, Latin and other languages and kept their old spellings while the pronunciation changed. On top of that, American English simplifies unstressed syllables in everyday speech, so some letters you see are never said at all.
The good news is that hard words aren't random. Once you know the five patterns below, you can figure out most new words on your own.
30 Hard Words to Pronounce in English
| Word | How to say it | Why it's hard |
|---|---|---|
| colonel | KER-nul | Sounds like kernel |
| Worcestershire | WOOS-ter-sher | Only 3 syllables |
| through | THROO | The ough spelling |
| awful | AH-ful | Silent W |
| mural | MYUR-ul | Hidden Y sound |
| croissant | kruh-SAHNT | French spelling |
| leisure | LEE-zher | S sounds like ZH |
| Israel | IZ-ree-ul | S sounds like Z |
| comfortable | KUMF-ter-bul | 3 syllables, not 4 |
| vegetables | VEJ-tuh-bulz | 3 syllables, not 4 |
| chocolate | CHAHK-lit | 2 syllables, not 3 |
| business | BIZ-nis | 2 syllables, not 3 |
| aspirin | AS-prin | 2 syllables, not 3 |
| average | AV-rij | 2 syllables, not 3 |
| usually | YOO-zhuh-lee | ZH, and a dropped syllable |
| interesting | IN-trist-ing | 3 ways to say it |
| girl | GERL | ER and Dark L |
| world | WERLD | ER, Dark L and D |
| rural | RUR-ul | Two Rs and a Dark L |
| squirrel | SKWER-ul | SKW, ER and Dark L |
| milk | MILK | Dark L before K |
| million | MIL-yun | 2 syllables, not 3 |
| three | THREE | THR cluster |
| months | MUNTHS or MUNTS | TH between N and S |
| clothes | KLOHTHZ or KLOHZ | TH before Z |
| sixth | SIKSTH | K, S and TH together |
| fifth | FIFTH or FITH | Two Fs and a TH |
| thirty | THER-dee | Flap T |
| can't | KANT | Often a Stop T |
| engineer | en-juh-NEER | Stress at the end |
1. The spelling doesn't match the sound
Colonel is said exactly like kernel, even though there's no R in the spelling. Worcestershire looks like it has four or five syllables, but Americans say three: WOOS-ter-sher, with the OO vowel in book. In awful, there's a W in the spelling but no W sound, and the vowel is AH. Mural has a Y sound, like the Y in yes, that the spelling doesn't show. And in leisure, the S sounds like the ZH in usually.
Watch me say these up close: colonel and through, Worcestershire, croissant, leisure and Israel.
2. A syllable disappears
When a syllable is unstressed, native speakers often drop its vowel completely. This is called vowel syncope. Dictionaries may list 4 syllables for comfortable and vegetables, but you'll almost always hear 3: KUMF-ter-bul and VEJ-tuh-bulz. Chocolate, business, aspirin and average all lose a syllable the same way. If you say every syllable you see, these words will sound slow and over-careful.
Usually can be 3 or 4 syllables, and interesting has three common pronunciations. Both versions are correct, but the shorter ones are what you'll hear most. See my lessons on comfortable and vegetables, usual and usually and interesting. Unstressed syllables usually reduce to the schwa before they disappear.
3. An R and a Dark L sit side by side
Nearly every one of my accent clients asks for help with the R, and girl, world, rural and squirrel add a Dark L right after it. Rural is tricky even for native speakers. For the ER, pull your tongue up and back and press its sides against your upper back teeth. Then, for the Dark L, the back of your tongue drops low and tenses. You should feel the Dark L low in your throat. The tongue has to change shape quickly, so practice the two sounds slowly before you speed up.
In million, the Dark L comes in the middle of the word. Say it as two syllables, MIL-yun, and feel your tongue move from the L into the Y. Learn more in my lessons on the Light L and Dark L and the American R.
4. A TH is stuck between other consonants
The TH is hard on its own, and it gets harder next to other consonants, as in three, months, clothes, sixth and fifth. Native speakers often drop the TH in months and clothes, so they sound like munts and close. You can do the same. But when month is singular, as in "one month ago," always say the TH. See how I say sixth, and learn the voiced and voiceless TH sounds.
5. The T changes, or the stress moves
In thirty, the T is a Flap T, which sounds like a quick, light D: THER-dee. If you say a full T, people will understand you, but it won't sound natural. Can't is often said with a Stop T, where the air is held instead of released. To tell it apart from can, listen for the vowel: in a sentence, can usually shrinks to "kun," and can't keeps its full AA vowel. Learn more about the American T.
In engineer, the stress falls on the last syllable, en-juh-NEER. Put the stress on the wrong syllable and even a simple word can be hard to understand. See stressed and unstressed syllables.
Words That Sound Almost the Same
Some words aren't hard on their own, but they're easy to mix up with another word:
- been, bean and being: been rhymes with bin, bean has the long EE vowel, and being has two syllables. Watch the lesson.
- or and war, east and yeast: each pair differs by one sound at the start. Or and east start with a vowel, while war starts with W and yeast starts with Y. Watch the lesson.
- leave and live: leave has the long EE vowel, and live has the short IH vowel in bit. Watch the lesson.
Can you hear the difference between beat and bit? Test your ear with my free 2-minute American English listening quiz.
Want words that are easy to get wrong, not just hard to say? See my list of 40 commonly mispronounced words.
How to Practice Hard Words
- Count the syllables you hear, not the ones you see. Listen to a native speaker and tap one finger for each syllable.
- Find the stressed syllable. It's longer, louder and higher in pitch. Get that one right first.
- Find the one tricky sound. Most hard words have one problem spot, like a Dark L or a TH cluster. Practice that spot alone, then put the word back together.
- Watch it slowly. My difficult word lessons show each word at my normal pace, at a slower pace, and up close in slow motion.
- Follow a course. Most hard words are hard because of one sound or stress pattern. My free course, English Pro Lite, has 45 video lessons on vowels, consonants, stress and rhythm. In English Pro, I teach every pattern step by step, and you can send me your recordings for feedback.
Common Questions
What is the hardest word to pronounce in English?
Worcestershire is a famous one, because its spelling hides how few sounds it has. For English learners, words that put an R next to a Dark L, like rural, squirrel and girl, are often harder, because the tongue has to change shape so quickly.
What are 10 hard words to pronounce?
Ten from my lessons: colonel, Worcestershire, comfortable, vegetables, rural, squirrel, girl, world, months and sixth.
Why is English pronunciation so hard?
English spelling often doesn't match the sounds. Many words kept spellings from French, Latin or older English, and American English also shortens unstressed syllables, so some written letters are never said.
Are these words hard for native speakers too?
Some are. Rural and Worcestershire trip up plenty of native speakers. Others, like comfortable and clothes, feel easy to native speakers because they use the shorter, everyday pronunciation without thinking about it.
How do you pronounce colonel?
KER-nul, exactly like kernel. English borrowed the word twice: the spelling comes from Italian colonnello, and the R pronunciation comes from the older French form coronel.
How can I get better at pronouncing difficult words?
Count the syllables you hear, find the stressed syllable, and practice the one tricky sound on its own before you say the whole word. Watching the word in slow motion helps you see what your mouth should do.