40+ Difficult Words to Pronounce in English

Summary

This instructional video script focuses on challenging English pronunciations, guiding viewers to practice tricky words and phrases. The host encourages listeners to repeat after them, emphasizing correct pronunciation and offering definitions through a provided link. The script covers a range of words, from everyday terms like 'sore throat' and 'squirrel' to more complex ones such as 'anesthetist' and 'Worcestershire.' It also addresses silent letters and homophones, like 'bomb' and 'climb,' and ends with an invitation to listen to the host's podcast for further insights and humor on difficult English pronunciation.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is focused on teaching difficult English words to pronounce.
• 🗣️ Viewers are encouraged to listen and repeat after the speaker to practice pronunciation.
• 👀 Definitions and comments about the words can be found by clicking the link in the description.
• 🎧 An audio podcast episode is available for further listening practice with jokes and conversation.
• 📝 The transcript provides a list of words and sentences for viewers to repeat and practice with.
• 📈 The video aims to improve pronunciation by focusing on words with tricky sounds and silent letters.
• 🐿️ Examples include words like 'squirrel' and 'throughout' which may be challenging for non-native speakers.
• 🏥 The video clarifies pronunciation of words related to professions, such as 'anesthetist'.
• 🎓 It also addresses common pronunciation mistakes, like the difference between 'live' and 'leave'.
• 🏛️ Words with silent letters, such as 'climb', 'comb', and 'crumb', are highlighted to avoid mispronunciation.
• 👨‍🏫 The speaker, Luke Thompson, hosts an English podcast called Luke's English Podcast for more language practice.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video mentioned in the transcript?

The main purpose of the video is to help English learners practice the pronunciation of difficult words in English.

How can viewers find the written versions of the words and sentences discussed in the video?

The words and sentences can be found written on the screen during the video, and they are also available through a link in the description below.

What additional resource is offered for those who want to listen to an episode with jokes, tongue twisters, and more related to the words?

An audio podcast episode is offered, which can be accessed through a link in the description below.

What is the first word the speaker asks the viewers to practice?

The first word the speaker asks viewers to practice is 'sore throat'.

How does the speaker describe the word 'throughout' in the context of the video?

The speaker describes 'throughout' as meaning 'all the way through', and provides the example of squirrels living in a park throughout the year.

What does the speaker mean by the word 'hierarchy'?

The speaker explains that 'hierarchy' refers to a system of levels, and gives the example of a business hierarchy.

What is the correct pronunciation of the word 'anesthetist' according to the video?

The correct pronunciation of 'anesthetist' is emphasized with the 'th' sound, pronounced as 'an-is-thet-ist'.

What is the meaning of the word 'worthlessly' as used in the video?

'Worthlessly' is used in the video to describe an action done in a way that has no worth or point.

How does the speaker distinguish between the pronunciation of 'live' and 'leave'?

The speaker distinguishes 'live' with a short 'i' sound and 'leave' with a long 'ee' sound.

What is the difference between 'ship' and 'sheep' in terms of pronunciation according to the video?

The difference lies in the vowel sound; 'ship' has a short 'i' sound, while 'sheep' has a long 'ee' sound.

How does the speaker explain the pronunciation of the word 'architecture'?

The speaker explains that 'architecture' should be pronounced with emphasis on the 'tect' part, and not to confuse it with 'architectural', which is the adjective form.

What is the correct way to pronounce the word 'colonel' as per the video?

The correct pronunciation of 'colonel' is given as not sounding like the symbol ':' but rather as 'kernel', with the emphasis on the 'el' part.

How does the speaker address the pronunciation of words with silent letters like 'climb'?

The speaker points out that in words like 'climb', the 'b' is silent, and the word should be pronounced with emphasis on the 'cl' and 'm' sounds.

What is the significance of practicing pronunciation as described in the video?

The video emphasizes that practicing pronunciation is like a workout for the mouth muscles and can even cause discomfort, which is a good sign of improvement.

What is the name of the podcast mentioned in the video for further listening practice?

The name of the podcast mentioned is 'Luke's English Podcast'.

How can viewers access more information and definitions about the words discussed in the video?

Viewers can access more information and definitions about the words by listening to episode 485 of Luke's English Podcast, as mentioned in the video.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to English Pronunciation Practice

The video script begins with an introduction to a lesson focused on difficult words to pronounce in English. The host encourages viewers to practice by repeating words and sentences after them, with the words displayed on the screen. Viewers are also directed to a link in the description for definitions and comments about the words, as well as an audio podcast episode featuring jokes, tongue twisters, and conversation around these words.

05:00

🐿 Pronunciation of Tricky English Words and Minimal Pairs

This paragraph delves into the pronunciation of several challenging English words, starting with 'sore throat' and 'squirrel', followed by words like 'throughout', 'bewildered', 'hierarchy', and 'anesthetist'. The host provides examples sentences for each word to illustrate their usage and pronunciation. Minimal pairs, words that sound similar such as 'live' and 'leave', 'ship' and 'sheep', 'full' and 'fool', are also discussed to highlight the subtle differences in pronunciation.

10:01

🏛 Words with Silent Letters and Difficult Pronunciations

The host continues with a list of words that include silent letters, such as 'architecture', 'architectural', 'draw', 'colonel', and 'pine kernel', which are homophones with 'Colonel Sanders'. The importance of practicing pronunciation is emphasized, and words like 'comfortable', 'pronunciation', 'recipe', 'scissors', and 'strengths' are provided with examples to guide the viewers in their pronunciation practice.

15:02

🗓️ Pronouncing Dates, Ordinal Numbers, and Challenging Words

The script moves on to the pronunciation of dates and ordinal numbers, such as '16th', '18th', '13th', '30th', and words with silent letters like 'bomb', 'climb', 'comb', 'crumb', and 'debt'. The host suggests that if certain words are too difficult, viewers can use simplified pronunciations as a starting point before attempting the full pronunciation.

20:03

🎙️ Closing Remarks and Podcast Promotion

In the final paragraph, the host wraps up the pronunciation practice session and promotes his audio podcast, 'Luke's English Podcast', where he discusses difficult English words with comedian Paul Taylor. The host thanks the viewers, encourages them to subscribe to his podcast on iTunes and Android Play Store, and gives credit to topito.com for the initial list of challenging words.

Keywords

💡sore throat

A sore throat refers to pain, scratchiness, or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. It is mentioned in the video as an example of a difficult English phrase to pronounce, helping to illustrate the importance of practicing pronunciation to achieve accuracy.

💡squirrel

A squirrel is a small, agile rodent with a bushy tail, often found in parks and forests. The video uses 'squirrel' to highlight the challenges of English pronunciation, focusing on the tricky sound combinations in the word.

💡bewildered

Bewildered means confused or perplexed. The video uses this word to show how to properly pronounce complex words, emphasizing the importance of mastering pronunciation to convey clear meaning.

💡hierarchy

A hierarchy is a system of organization with levels of authority or status. The video uses 'hierarchy' to demonstrate pronunciation of multisyllabic words, highlighting the importance of correct emphasis and articulation.

💡anesthetist

An anesthetist is a medical professional specialized in administering anesthesia to patients. The video uses this term to challenge viewers with difficult-to-pronounce words, stressing the need for accurate medical terminology.

💡threshold

Threshold refers to a point or level at which something begins or changes. In the video, it is used to practice the pronunciation of words with the 'th' sound, demonstrating the nuances of English phonetics.

💡Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county in England, also known for the sauce named after it. The video includes 'Worcestershire' to show the irregularities in English pronunciation, where the spelling doesn't always match the pronunciation.

💡comfortable

Comfortable means providing physical ease and relaxation. The video uses this word to demonstrate the correct way to pronounce words with silent letters and reduced syllables, emphasizing the natural flow of speech.

💡pronunciation

Pronunciation is the way in which a word is spoken. The video focuses on this term to underline the significance of proper pronunciation in communication and how it differs from 'pronounce'.

💡recipe

A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish. The video uses 'recipe' to practice the pronunciation of common words, illustrating how to articulate each syllable correctly.

Highlights

Introduction to the video about difficult words to pronounce in English.

Invitation to repeat words and sentences after the speaker for pronunciation practice.

Explanation of how to access definitions and comments about the words by clicking the link in the description.

Pronunciation of 'sore throat' with examples of its usage.

The word 'squirrel' and its pronunciation with a sentence example.

The word 'throughout' explained with an example of its usage.

The pronunciation and meaning of 'bewildered' with a contextual sentence.

Explanation of 'hierarchy' and its pronunciation with a business example.

The pronunciation of 'anesthetist' and 'anesthetize' with an example sentence.

The word 'threshold' and its pronunciation with an example of tax thresholds.

The pronunciation of 'worthlessly' and its usage in a sentence.

Introduction to 'Worcestershire' sauce and its pronunciation variations.

The pronunciation of 'William Wordsworth' with an example sentence.

Minimal pairs 'live' and 'leave' with pronunciation and example usage.

The classic pronunciation challenge of 'ship' and 'sheep' with an example sentence.

The pronunciation of 'architecture' and 'architectural' with example sentences.

The pronunciation of 'draw' and 'drawer' with an example of usage.

The pronunciation of 'colonel' and its association with Colonel Sanders.

The homophones 'colonel' and 'kernel' with pronunciation and example usage.

The pronunciation of 'comfortable' and 'comfortably' with example sentences.

The correct pronunciation of 'pronunciation' with an example sentence.

The pronunciation of 'recipe' with an example of asking for a cake recipe.

The pronunciation of 'scissors' and its usage in a question.

The pronunciation of 'strengths' with an example of discussing strengths and weaknesses.

The pronunciation of 'clothes' with an example sentence and a tip for easier pronunciation.

The pronunciation of 'months' with an example of expressing age.

The pronunciation of 'eighth' with an example of historical usage.

The pronunciation of the letter and word 'Q' with an example of its usage.

The pronunciation of 'fruit' with an example question about fresh fruit.

The pronunciation of '16th' and '18th' with example dates.

The pronunciation of '13th' with an example related to Friday the 13th.

The pronunciation of '30th' with an example date.

Introduction to words with silent letters, starting with 'bomb'.

The pronunciation of 'climb' with a silent 'b' and an example invitation.

The pronunciation of 'comb' with a silent 'b' and an example of its usage.

The pronunciation of 'crumb' with a silent 'b' and an example sentence.

The pronunciation of 'debt' with a silent 'b' and an example of student debt.

The pronunciation of 'doubt' with the correct mouth position.

The pronunciation variations of 'government' with an example sentence.

The pronunciation of 'Luke' and 'Luke's English Podcast'.

The pronunciation of 'podcast' and its distinction from 'postcard'.

Invitation to listen to Luke's English Podcast for more on difficult pronunciation.

Acknowledgment of topito.com as the source of the first ten words.

Transcripts

come on in right let's do this shall we

so hello everybody

this video is all about difficult words

to pronounce in English let's practice

some tricky pronunciation what's going

to happen in this video well what you're

going to do is listen to me say some

words and some lines you can find them

written here they're probably written on

the screen can you repeat them after me

try to copy my pronunciation and try to

make it exactly the same as the way that

I'm saying it alright to get definitions

and comments about the words in this

video just click the link in the

description below and you can also

listen to an episode of my audio podcast

where you'll hear all of these words

with jokes tongue twisters conversation

and more just click that link below okay

then let's begin see if you can repeat

these words and sentences after me let's

pay attention to how I'm saying them as

well

okay so first one is the word sore

throat sore throat this is like when

you're feeling a bit ill oh I've got a

sore throat I don't have a sore throat

today thankfully but anyway a sore

throat sore throat I've got a sore

throat today I've got a sore throat

today sore throat okay

here's number two a squirrel a squirrel

okay one of those lovely little cute

animals that you might see in the park a

squirrel and the sentence is I saw three

squirrels in the park today

I saw three squirrels in the park today

I saw three squirrels in the park today

square rolls squid roll squirrel third

one throughout throughout this means all

the way through okay so for example

squirrels live in this park throughout

the year throughout see the work sound

in the middle of that throughout

throughout okay fourth is the word

bewildered which means confused

bewildered not bewilder ed but

bewildered for example I was bewildered

by all the options I've got too many

options which one should I choose I was

bewildered by the options next word is

the word hierarchy hierarchy which is

like a system of levels okay for example

a hierarchy in a business hierarchy okay

higher higher like higher or lower

higher raah hierarchy for example

there's a flat hierarchy in our company

there's a flat hierarchy in our company

don't forget to repeat these try to

repeat them exactly the way that I'm

saying them there's a flat hierarchy in

our company you might want to just pause

the video to help you do that next word

is number 6 this is a difficult one and

this the tist

a nice the tist ah nice thir tist a nice

fattest

okay and the verb is to anis the ties

anis the ties nice the ties okay so the

example sentence see if you can repeat

this it's the job of the anesthetist to

anesthetize the patients with an

anaesthetic it's the job of the

anesthetist to anis that there are it's

the job of the anesthetist to

anesthetize the patients with an

anesthetic all right

number seven threshold threshold another

word with a thir sound in it threshold

threshold is basically a level or a

point at which at which one thing ends

and another thing begins for example we

talk about tax thresholds so different

levels of tax threshold the example is

if you earn more than seventy thousand

pounds you enter the next tax threshold

guys hot here it's not just the

pronunciation it's just hot

if you earn more than 70 thousand pounds

you enter the next tax threshold number

eight is worthlessly worthlessly which

means sort of in a worthless way or

where there's no you know there's no

worth or there's no point worthlessly

worth less ly worthlessly

and the sentence I was worthlessly

trying to impress her I was worthless ly

trying to impress her

number nine Worcestershire this is a

kind of sauce isn't it it's a sauce that

comes from a place in England called

Worcestershire Worcestershire sauce it's

actually two ways of saying it you can

do the full way Worcestershire sauce

and some people say Worcester sauce so

Worcestershire becomes Worcester past

the Worcestershire sauce would you can

you say no past the Worcestershire sauce

would you ten is a name and that is

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth

can you say it William Wordsworth for

example William Wordsworth was a

wonderful writer William Wordsworth was

a wonderful writer okay

number eleven some minimal pairs here

words that sound similar so we've got

the word live and the word leave so live

and leave okay you see the difference

it's a short sound in live and a long

sound in leave so live and leave for

example you have to live a little bit

before you leave this world very

philosophical statement live and leave

number 12 is ship and sheep this classic

example has been used so many times

before there's in fact there's a book

for pronunciation practice called ship

or sheep ship obviously a big boat and

sheep an animal an animal that we use to

get wool ship or sheep for example we

put all the sheep onto the ship so the

ship was full of sheep okay ship it's a

short sound it and sheep is a long sound

II sheep ship or sheep number 13 full

meaning for example the the room is full

there's not enough spec there's no more

space the room is full and full meaning

like an idiot you stupid fool for

example okay so ful short sound and fool

the long sound for example the room is

full you fool

the room is full you fool can you say

them like we can't fit anyone else in

the rooms full you fool number 14 the

word architecture architecture for

example I love the architecture on this

building it's amazing architecture ok

and then the adjective number 15

architectural architectural for example

the architectural style is fascinating

the architectural style is fascinating

you're still repeating these after me

aren't you you should be because that's

the point of this video you're supposed

to be practicing by repeating after me

so keep doing it number 16 the word draw

draw

I know it's spelt it looks like drower

but it's actually pronounced draw for

example a draw where you keep the knives

and forks you know you open the drawer

take the knives and forks out close the

drawer again so can you repeat this the

knives and forks are in the top drawer

on the left the knives and forks are in

the top drawer on the left

where are your knives and forks are

there just there in the top drawer on

the left

alright number 17 is colonel colonel

a colonel is a senior officer in an army

it's like a position in the army a

senior position colonel

it looks like : l actually pronounce

colonel for example Colonel Sanders

founded Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel

Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken

Colonel Sardis that's that guy with the

beard and the starch and the white sort

of white suit you see him on the logo

for KFC can that's Colonel Sanders

number 18 another word that sounds the

same and that's Colonel spelt keer NDL

colonel and in this case a colonel is a

nut it sounds exactly the same Colonel

Sanders and then you've got a pine

colonel meaning a pine nut same sound so

they are homophones these words for

example pine kernels can be delicious

nine kernels can be a delicious addition

to a salad can you say that pine kernels

can be a eikaiwa so pine kernels can be

a delicious addition to a salad number

19 the word comfortable it's not calm

for table just comfortable three

syllables are you comfortable would you

like a pillow like it's quite

comfortable isn't it this seats really

comfortable comfortable okay and yeah

the adverb would be comfortably are you

sitting comfortably then we'll begin

for example comfortable number 20

pronunciation pronunciation not

pronunciation it's a common mistake it's

actually pronounced pronunciation so

that now in his pronunciation the verb

is pronounced but the noun pronunciation

so for example pronunciation is

important you have to pronounce words

properly okay number 21 recipe recipe

for example why the instructions for how

to cook something recipe say it with me

recipe can you give me that delicious

cake recipe can you give me that

delicious cake recipe please you have to

say please it's polite okay number 22

scissors if I got any scissors up here

yes here we go scissors now scissors not

schizoar x' but scissors so can you

repeat it scissors for example do you

know where the scissors are where are

the scissors where where did I put the

scissors if you had anyone seen the

scissors oh they're in my hand scissors

alright next word number 23 is the word

strengths yeah that's a difficult one

ready strengths yeah strengths

strengths yeah and it means strong

points it's the opposite of weaknesses

so your strengths and weaknesses what

are your strengths and weaknesses or

what are your strengths and weaknesses

now if it's difficult to say strengths

you can just say strengths it's

basically okay strengths is alright if

you can't say strengths ok next one is

clothes clothes clothes those clothes

not clothes and certainly not clothes is

clothes

yeah clothes for example I bought some

new clothes today now if it's difficult

to say clothes you can just say clothes

like close the door it's a shortcut you

can just say clothes if you can't say

clothes

so saying clothes is better than saying

closes ok so there you go number 25

months months ok 9 months you know law

how old's your baby now oh she's 18

months old now she's 18 months old again

if you can't say months you can just say

months so replace the first sound in

month months replace the thirst sound

with a sound and you end up with months

13 months old okay that's that's not so

bad if you can't say months you can just

say months instead for example she's 18

months old now she's 18 months old now

number 26 the word eighth so we're at

the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th and 8th

ok

so for example Henry the eighth was a

Tudor King of England Henry the eighth

can you say that Henry the eighth you

see that not sir not fur but Sir

okay it's difficult it's one of the most

difficult ones for many people

but you can do it with practice just the

tip of the tongue comes under your teeth

not that well not all the way out just a

little bit like that you could practice

that for further and the the the yeah so

Henry the eighth

practice makes perfect number 27 the

word Q Q which is strange word in terms

of its pronunciation because it's

basically the letter Q followed by four

unnecessary

letters isn't it Q because we say the

letter Q is Q and the word Q is

pronounced the same way so why do we

have Yui Yui at the end I don't know but

anyway it's pronounced Q for example

sorry are you in the queue right are you

skipping the queue sorry at the end of

the queues back there yeah we're all

queuing up here we're not just standing

here unbelievable

okay a queue a line of people waiting

for something number 28 is the word

fruit fruit so not fruit but fruit okay

for example do you have any fresh fruit

do you have any fresh fruit can you

repeat these you stop repeating them

what's the matter with you

you didn't yeah I know you didn't but

some of the other ones did fruit okay

number twenty-nine 16th so we had ate

earlier now we've got 16th 16th for

example it's the 16th of October it's

the 16th of October okay number 30 18th

so we've gone past 17th and into 18 it's

the 18th of November it's the 18th of

November it's the 18th of November as

five words right it's the 18th of

November next one is number 31 and this

is 13th that's 1 3 th 13th the 13th okay

for example Friday the 13th Friday the

13th unlucky for some

Friday the 13th okay

number 32 is the word 30th and that's 3

0 th xxx xxx how are you doing how's

your face alright it's it feels like

going to the gym because it is like

going to the gym because it's muscles

it's about working the muscles in your

mouth your jaw your tongue so if it

feels like yeah if it feels

uncomfortable and your face even aches

that's good because it means you're

working those muscles so you got to keep

doing it practice practice practice

ok what's what was that work xxx for

example it's the 30th of December it's

the 30th of December number 33 and here

we've got a few words with silent

letters the first one is bomb a bomb an

explosive device the OMB but the B at

the end is silent so we end up with bomb

and bomb and bombed and bombing as well

for example there was a bomb scare in

the station there was a bomb scare

that's when the station gets evacuated

because you know there's been an alert

about a bomb a possible bomb there was a

bomb scare in the station people were

talking about a bombing so that's

bombing not bombing bombing and I can

remember when the IRA bombed Oxford

Street I can remember when the IRA

bombed Oxford Street

so that's bombed not bomb bit ok 34

we're nearly at the end it's the word

climb which also has a silent beyond the

end climb like climb like this you know

climb a mountain climb a ladder climb

for example do you want to go climbing

next weekend do you want to go climbing

next weekend so that's climbing not

climbing yeah ok number 35 is comb so

that's like a thing that you'd use to

comb your hair or not use

my case comb your hair you know it's

like a flat thing made of plastic comb

your hair like that a comb okay see OMB

but the B is silent I'm just combing my

hair with a comb can you repeat that I'm

just combing my hair with a comb okay

number 36 is crumb a crumb crumbs

these are little bits of bread or little

bits of like food that you might find on

the surface of a table like if you've

just eaten the biscuit yum yum yum and

there might be crumbs left on the plate

or on the table or something crumb with

silent B for example why are there loads

of bread crumbs on the table

have you been cutting bread here there

are lots of crumbs everywhere can you

clean them up please crumbs okay number

37 is the word debt debt it's got a

silent B as well that's debt look at

look at this say it with me debt yeah

you can smile when you say it you

shouldn't but you can debt you know it's

these lips should not meet when you say

that word so it's not depth and it's not

depth or depth its debt okay for example

many students leave University with

thousands of pounds of debt okay

thousands of pounds of debt okay good

just got a couple of others left next

one is doubt doubt like when you're not

sure about something doubt not doubt

again your lips don't meet is doubt

doubt doubt doubt okay there's no doubt

about it there's no doubt about it it's

a brilliant film there's no doubt about

it

number 39 is the word government or

government okay now there is n M in the

middle of the word but so you can

pronounce it government that's how I

usually browse it or government with a

little n government you

see that here that government or

government government or government

three syllables not four so don't say

government go it's not government it's

government or government okay for

example the government is yet to make a

statement

or the government is yet to make a

statement

as if you want to sound like you're on

the BBC the government is yet to make a

statement on the BBC and then two more

number forty years is my name and that's

Luke Luke okay not look not luck not

mister luck either just Luke okay Luke

Thompson okay Luke Thompson and number

41 is the word podcast this is a podcast

podcast all right not postcard this is a

postcard look a postcard from Japan

that's a postcard but this is a podcast

look there it's written Ella pod carpod

cast not postcard so that's a postcard

that's a well that's a podcast all right

so it's Luke's English podcast not

postcard not pot card not podcast or pot

cat it's a podcast all right cool

so if you'd like to hear more about this

kind of thing if you'd like to hear more

about these words with definitions of

the words and more then why not listen

to my audio podcast okay did you get

that my audio podcast which is called

Luke's English podcast that I've shown

it to you you could start with episode

number 485 which is all about difficult

English pronunciation and you'll hear me

and a friend of mine a very funny friend

of mine called Paul Taylor who is a

comedian you hear the two of us talking

about all of the most difficult words to

stay to say in English and there are

lots of jokes and things like that the

link to that episode is in the

description below if you haven't already

heard it you can check it out there and

you can subscribe to luke's English

podcast on itunes and on the android

play store as well if you've got an

Android phone also finally I would just

like to say thank you to the people from

topito comm the first ten words in this

list came from a list of difficult

English words that they originally

published on their website a few months

ago all right cool thanks for watching

Cheers