Hard pronunciation words are terms in the English language that don't sound the way they look on paper. These tricky words often have hidden sounds or silent letters that make them tough for students to say correctly. Practising these specific words helps you improve your speaking skills and makes your everyday English sound much more natural and clear.
Why is English Pronunciation Difficult?
English isn't always a "phonetic" language. This means the letters on the page don't always match the sounds we make. We often run into tricky English pronunciation words because of:
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Vowel shifts: One letter making three different sounds.
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Borrowing: Words taken from French or Greek.
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Historical changes: How people spoke 400 years ago vs. today.
Read More - List of Dictation Words in English
List of Hard Pronunciation Words in English
Talking in English is fun, but some words are tricky. You might see a word like "colonel" and want to say it exactly how it's spelt, but English loves to surprise us. Many hard words in English come from other languages, which is why the spelling feels so strange. Here are some common words to practise –
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Word
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How it looks
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How to say it
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Choir
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Choy-er
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Quire
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Mischievous
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Mis-chee-vee-us
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Mis-chi-vus
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Quinoa
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Quin-o-ah
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Keen-wah
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Anemone
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A-ne-mone
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Uh-nem-uh-nee
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Isthmus
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Is-th-mus
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Is-muss
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Colonel
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Co-lo-nel
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Ker-nel
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Worcestershire
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Wor-ces-ter-shire
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WUSS-ter-sheer
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February
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Feb-ru-ar-y
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FEB-yoo-air-ee
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Yacht
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Yatcht
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Yot
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Draught
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Draught
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Draft
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Epitome
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E-pi-tome
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Eh-PIT-uh-mee
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Hyperbole
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Hy-per-bole
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Hy-PER-buh-lee
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Cache
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Ca-che
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Cash
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Faux
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F-aux
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Foh
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Subtle
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Sub-tle
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SUT-uhl
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Debt
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Deb-t
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Det
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Salmon
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Sal-mon
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SAM-uhn
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Receipt
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Re-ceipt
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Ruh-SEET
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Rendezvous
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Ren-dez-vous
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RON-day-voo
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Entrepreneur
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En-tre-pre-neur
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on-truh-pruh-NUR
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Choirboy
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Choy-er-boy
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KWY-er-boy
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Probably
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Pro-ba-bly
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PROB-uh-blee
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Library
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Li-bra-ry
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LY-brer-ee
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Comfortable
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Com-for-ta-ble
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KUMF-ter-bul
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Particularly
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Par-ti-cu-lar-ly
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puh-TIK-yuh-ler-lee
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English Words with Silent Letters
A big reason difficult English words to pronounce can be confusing is the "silent letter" rule. These are letters which you see but should not say. If you try to say every single letter, the word will sound wrong to a listener. For example:
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The Silent 'B': In "Debt" or "Subtle,", the B is totally quiet.
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The Silent 'K': Words like "knot" or "knee" start right with the N sound.
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The Silent 'P': "psychology" or "neumonia"—ignore the P at the start.
Practice Table for Silent Letters: Read these words every day to ensure proper pronunciation.
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Word Category
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Example Word
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Silent Letter
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Food
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Salmon
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L
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Tools
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Scissors
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C
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Buildings
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Castle
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T
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Body
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Wrist
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W
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Using English pronunciation practice words like these daily will help your brain skip the silent parts automatically.
Commonly Mispronounced English Words
We use hard words every single day without realising we might be saying them wrong. Even adults struggle with these! It’s not about being "bad" at English; it’s just about how the language has changed over time.
Hard Pronunciation Words We Use at Home
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Clothes: Don't say "clow-thezz." It sounds almost like "cloze".
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Library: People often forget the first 'r'. It's "Ly-brar-y", not "Ly-ber-ry".
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February: This one is famous for being tough. Say "Feb-roo-"
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Jewellery: Say "Jool-ree", not "Jew-el-
Difficult Pronunciation Words We Use at School
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Schedule: Some say "Shed-yool", and some say "Sked-yool". Both are okay, but "Sked-yool" is very common.
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Archive: This sounds like "Ar-kyve". The 'ch' makes a 'k' sound here.
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Chaos: Just like 'archive', the 'ch' is a 'k'. It sounds like "Kay-oss".
When you find these words in English, try to record yourself on a phone. Listen back and compare it to a dictionary app. It’s a great way to catch small mistakes before they become habits.
Read More - Daily Use English Words with Meaning and Examples
How Do Tongue Twisters Improve Pronunciation?
One of the best ways to get better at hard pronunciations is to practise English tongue twisters hard versions. These are like a workout for your mouth. If you can say a very difficult sentence three times fast, a single word will feel easy. These help with "muscle memory" in your jaw and tongue.
Famous Hard Tongue Twisters
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"Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward."
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"Padkid poured curd pulled cod." (This is actually one of the hardest in the world!)
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"Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery."
How to Practice Twisters
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Start Slow: Say each word clearly and separately.
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Add Speed: Move a little faster once you stop tripping over your tongue.
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Repeat: Do it five times without stopping.
With tongue twisters, your brain learns to switch quickly between sounds such as "s" and "sh" or "r" and "l" at a much faster rate.
More Techniques to Learn Hard Pronunciation Words
You don't have to learn a thousand words at once. Just picking five words a week makes a big difference over a school term.
Steps for Better Speaking
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Break it down: turn "phenomenon" into "fe-nom-eh-non".
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Watch the mouth: Look at videos to see how people move their lips for words like "sixth".
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Use a mirror: watch yourself talk to see if your mouth is opening wide enough for vowel sounds.
Common Mistakes Students Make In Hard Pronunciation Words In English
Fixing these common errors can help you speak more clearly and confidently:
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Adding extra sounds: Some learners put an extra sound inside a word, which changes how it should be said.
Example: Saying “ath-uh-lete” instead of “athlete”.
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Wrong word stress: If you stress the wrong part of a word, it can sound odd or confusing.
Example: “com-PU-ter” is correct, not “COM-pu-ter”.
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Speaking too quickly: When you rush, words blend together and people miss your sounds.
Example: Say “What are you doing?” clearly instead of a fast, merged version.
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Unclear vowel sounds: English vowels shift a lot, so one letter can sound different in different words.
Example: The vowel sound in 'cat' is not the same as in 'car'.
Here is another quick reference guide for hard words:
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Word
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Difficulty Level
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Common Mistake
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Rural
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High
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Saying "Roo-ul"
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Specific
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Medium
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Saying "Pacific"
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Asterisk
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High
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Saying "Asterix"
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Epitome
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High
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Saying "Epi-tome"
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English has many rules, and then it breaks them. That’s okay! Even native speakers find hard pronunciation words tricky sometimes. The goal is to be understood, not to be a walking dictionary.
Here’s a clear, simple rephrased version with the same message and friendly tone:
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