Apr 10, 2024
Aakanksha Sharma
Difficult words
English has always been like a second language to a majority of Indians. But, there are certain words which even the native English speakers can’t pronounce and interpret correctly! Here we list 11 of the most difficult to pronounce words and how to spell them correctly.
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​Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
The word above is pronounced as – new-muh-nuh-ul-tra-my-kruh-skop-ik-sil-i-koh-vol-kay-no-koh-nee-oh-sis and is referred to a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine silica particles.
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​Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
The pronunciation of the word comes to – hip-uh-pot-uh-mon-stroh-ses-kwip-uh-dal-ee-uh-foh-bee-uh and ironically, the meaning of this very long word is ‘the fear of long words’.
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​Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
A word made famous by the movie ‘Mary Poppins’ the correct pronunciation of it is – Soo-per-kal-uh-fraj-uh-lis-tik-ek-spee-al-i-doh-shuhs. This extremely long word simply means fantastic or extraordinary.
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​Antidisestablishmentarianism
Pronounced as – an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muh n-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm, the word is pretty self-explanatory. The meaning of antidisestablishmentarianism refers to opposition to the withdrawal of state support from an established church.
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Floccinaucinihilipilification
A word made famous by none other than Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Floccinaucinihilipilification is pronounced as – flok-suh-naw-suh-ni-hil-i-pil-uh-fi-key-shuhn. It refers to the act of estimating something as worthless or insignificant.
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​Honorificabilitudinitatibus
First used by Shakespeare in his play ‘Love’s Labour Lost’, Honorificabilitudinitatibus means ‘the state of being able to receive honours’ and is pronounced as ho-nuh-rif-uh-kah-bil-i-tyoo-di-ni-tah-tuh-bus.
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​Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism is a genetic disorder that copies the symptoms of pseudohypoparathyroidism and thus gets an additional ‘pseudo’ in the beginning. It is pronounced as soo-doh-soo-doh-hy-poh-par-uh-thahy-roid-is-uhm.
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​Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a chemical compound that was at a time used as an insecticide. It is known as ‘DDT’ and pronounced as dahy-klawr-oh-dahy-fen-uhl-trahy-klawr-oh-eth-eyn.
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​Thyroparathyroidectomy
Thyroparathyroidectomy refers to the surgical removal of thyroid and parathyroid glands in an individual. This medical term is pronounced as – thahy-roh-par-uh-they-roid-ek-tummy.
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Incomprehensibilities
Incomprehensibilities has a rather simple pronunciation but can be a little bit of a tongue twister for many. With the pronunciation of – in-kuhm-pri-hen-suh-bil-i-tees, the meaning of the word goes as the state or quality of being incomprehensible or not understandable.
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Gnocchi
An extremely simple to write word but is a task for people to pronounce is Gnocchi. It is an Italian dish of small, soft dumplings made from potato and is spelled as ‘Nyoh-Kee’.
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