200 TRICKY AND DIFFICULT

WORDS TO SPELL
What are the Top 20 Hardest Words to Spell?

Nauseous naa·shuhs

Dilate dai·layt

Indict uhn·dite

Liquefy li·kwuh·fai

Wednesday wenz·day

Sherbet shur·buht

Bologna bo·lo·nya

Ingenious uhn·jee·nee·uhs

Playwright play·rite

Fuchsia fyoo·shuh

Gobbledegook gob·uhl·dee·gook

Pochemuchka poh·cheh·moch·kah

Chiaroscurist chiar·oscu·rist

Logorrhea laa·gr·ee·uh

Sacrilegious sa·kruh·leh·jis

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What are the Top 20 Hardest Words to Spell?

Minuscule mi·nuh·skyool

Pronunciation pruh·nuhn·see·ey·shuhn

Intelligence uhn·teh·luh·jns

Weird weerd

Pharaoh feh·row

Double Consonants

Accommodation uh·kaa·muh·day·shn

Exaggerate uhg·za·jr·ayt

Beginning bee·gi·nuhng

Occurrence uh·kur·uhns

Broccoli braa·kuh·lee

Dissipate di·suh·payt

Tomorrow tuh·maa·row

Personnel pr·suh·nel

Immediately uh·mee·dee·uht·lee

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 Silent Letters

Abscond uhb·skaand

Plaque plak

Wring ring

Surprise sr·prize

Doubt dowt

Numb nuhm

Silhouette si·luh·wet

Sword sord

Pseudo soo·dow

Thistle thi·sl

Mortgage mor·guhj

Moisten moy·sn

American Spelling British Spelling

Color Colour

Flavor Flavour

Humor Humour

Neighbor Neighbour

Apologize Apologise

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American Spelling British Spelling

Organize Organise

Recognize Recognise

Analyze Analyse

Traveled Travelled

Traveling Travelling

Leukemia Leukaemia

Maneuver Manoeuvre

Pediatric Paediatric

Defense Defence

License Licence

Pretense Pretence

Analog Analogue

Catalog Catalogue

Dialog Dialogue

Theater Theatre

Archeology Archaeology

Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia

Medieval Mediaeval

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American Spelling British Spelling

Caliber Calibre

Center Centre

Meter Metre

Somber Sombre

Bank Banque

Check Cheque

Fueled Fuelled

Canceling Cancelling

Hard Words to Spell for Adults

Abscess ab·ses

Asthma az·muh

Bhagavata bha·ga·va·ta

Champagne sham·payn

Cologne kuh·lown

Conscience kaan·shns

Ascent uh·sent

Dilemma duh·leh·muh

Collegiate kuh·lee·jit

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 Hard Words to Spell for Adults

Endeavor en·deh·vor

Miniature mi·nee·uh·chr

Gist jist

Troupe troop

Concerted kuhn·sur·tuhd

Believe buh·leev

Embarrass uhm·beh·ruhs

Hierarchy hai·ur·aar·kee

Liaison lee·ay·zon

Maneuver muh·noo·vr

Noticeable now·tuh·suh·bl

Humorous hyoo·mr·uhs

Necessary neh·suh·seh·ree

Entrepreneur aan·truh·pruh·noor

Paradigm peh·ruh·dime

Acquiesce a·kwee·es

Parallel peh·ruh·lel

Mischievous mis·chuh·vuhs

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 Hard Words to Spell for Adults

Conscientious kaan·shee·en·shuhs

Exacerbate uhg·za·sr·bayt

Questionnaire kwes·chuh·nehr

Harass hr·as

Grateful grayt·fl

Changeable chayn·juh·bl

Bureaucracy byoo·raa·kruh·see

Connoisseur kaa·nuh·sur

Pneumonia nuh·mow·nyuh

Narcissistic naar·suh·si·stuhk

Privileged pri·vuh·luhjd

Resuscitate ruh·suh·suh·tayt

Autochthonous aa·taak·thuh·nuhs

Immediate uh·mee·dee·uht

Surveillance sr·vay·luhns

Abacaxi ah·ba·ca·she

Advocaat ad·vuh·caat

Aitch aych

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 Hard Words to Spell for Adults

Atlatl aht·laht·l

Chhatri chuh-tree

Knemidokoptes nee·mi·doh·kop·tees

Vengeance ven·jns

Conscious kaan·shuhs

Judgment juhj·muhnt

Indispensable in·duh·spen·suh·bl

Misspell muhs·spel

Maintenance mayn·tuh·nuhns

Rhythm ri·thm

Memento muh·men·tow

Inoculate uh·naa·kyuh·layt

Crwth krooth

Acknowledgment uhk·naa·luhj·muhnt

Embezzlement uhm·beh·zuhl·muhnt

Evanescent eh·vuh·neh·snt

Extraneous uhk·stray·nee·uhs

Fallacious fuh·lay·shuhs

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 Hard Words to Spell for Adults

Sergeant saar·jnt

Ubiquitous yoo·bi·kwuh·tuhs

Referred ruh·furd

Vicarious vai·keh·ree·uhs

Bobbejaan bob·uh·yahn

Khedive keh·dive

Mlechchha muh·leh·chhuh

Efficacy eh·fuh·kuh·see

Handkerchief hang·kr·chuhf

Threshold thresh·howld

Twelfth twelth

Eloquent eh·luh·kwnt

Pastime pas·time

Weather weh·thr

Vacuum va·kyoom

Discipline di·suh·pluhn

Occasionally uh·kay·zhuh·nuh·lee

Colloquial kuh·low·kwee·uhl

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 Homophones
Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

Blue Blew
(Color) (Past tense of blow)

Dear Deer
(Loved one) (Antlered animal)

Witch Which
(Magic practitioner) (Identifying option)

Die Dye
(Cease to live) (Colorant for fabric)

Fair Fare
(Just or equality) (Cost of transportation)

Hair Hare
(Follicle-produced filament) (Rabbit species)

I Eye
(Personal pronoun) (Organ of vision)

Flour Flower
(Baking ingredient) (Blossoming plant)

Week Weak
(Seven days) (Lacking strength)

Hear Here
(To perceive sound) (Current location)

Peace Piece
(State of tranquility) (Portion of a whole)

Mail Male
(Letters or packages) (Man or boy)

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 Homographs
Words with the same spelling but have different pronunciations and
meanings.

Buffet - buh·fet Buffet - buh·fay

(To hit or strike) (Self-serve food bar)

Content - khun·tent Content - khan·tent

(To be satisfied or pleased) (Information or material)

Produce - pruh·doos Produce - proh·doos

(To create or manufacture) (Agricultural products)

Evening - eev·ning Evening - ee·vuh·ning

(Time of the day) (Balancing or leveling)

Desert - dez·ert Desert - di·zurt

(Barren landscape) (To abandon)

Bass - bah·ss Bass - bey·ss

(Type of fish or musical instrument) (Low or deep tone)

Dove - duhv Dove - dohv

(Type of bird) (Past tense of dive)

Wound - w·ew·nd Wound - w·ow·nd

(Injury or cut on the body) (To twist or turn something)

Bow - b·ow Bow - b·oh

(Weapon or knot) (To bend the body forward)

Lead - leh·d Lead - lee·d

(Metallic element) (To guide or be in charge)

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 Homonyms
Words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but have different
meanings.

Address Address
(Specific location of a place) (To deal with a situation)

Bright Bright
(High degree of light) (Intelligent or smart)

Close Close
(Near in proximity) (To shut something)

Current
Current
(Flow of water or air in a specific
(Present time)
direction)

Fair Fair
(Attractive or beautiful) (To a reasonable degree)

Object Object
(Goal of action) (To oppose something)

Right Right
(Direction opposite to left) (Correct or accurate)

Spring Spring
(Season) (To jump or leap suddenly)

Well Well
(Source of water) (A satisfactory manner)

Wind Wind
(Current of air or breeze) (To move in a twisting course)

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 Heterographs
Words that have the same pronunciation but different spellings and
meanings. They are distinct in their written form.

I Aye Eye
(Pronoun) (Synonym for yes) (Organ of vision)

Write
Right Rite
(Compose using
(Opposite of left) (Ceremonial act)
written language)

You're
Your Yore
(Contraction of "you
(Indicates possession) (Ancient times)
are")

Seas Seize
Sees
(Large bodies of (To grab or take
(Observes something)
saltwater) forcefully)

Its It's
(Indicates possession) (Contraction of "it is" or "it has")

Here Hear
(Present location) (To perceive sound)

Prey
Pray
(Animal hunted for
(To offer religious devotion)
food)

Reed Read
(Tall plant stem) (Understand written text aloud)

Night Knight
(Evening) (Medieval warrior or noble title)

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 Heteronyms
Words that share the same spelling but have different pronunciations
and meanings. They may have different stress patterns and syllable
emphasis.

Windy - win·dee Windy - wayn·dee

(Strong air currents) (Twist or bend in a road)

Present - prez·uhnt Present - pri·zent

(Gift) (To introduce or show)

Close - klohz Close - khloz

(To shut or fasten) (In close proximity)

House - how·s House - how·z

(Building for dwelling) (To provide shelter)

Sow - sow Sow - soh

(Female pig) (To plant or scatter seeds)

Tear - t·air Tear - t·eer

(To rip or pull apart) (Liquid from the eye)

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