172 Hard Words to Spell
Here's a list of 172 hard words to spell. Look the words over carefully to see how many you already know how to spell. Ask a friend or family member and compare notes. Are the words that are difficult for you, also difficult for the other person? Just what makes these words so difficult anyway? It depends on the word!
On this page, we'll explore several reasons why spelling words can be challenging, and how you can improve your skills. Here's what you'll find:
- 172 Hard Words to Spell
- Unfamiliar Words
- EI/IE Words
- Words with Silent Consonants
- Words with Double Consonants
172 Hard Words to Spell
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abecedarian aberrant abhorrence abscissa absquatulate abysmal accommodate achievement acquiesce acquisitiveness aficionado amanuensis anathema aneurysm antediluvian apartheid aphaeresis apocryphal appropriateness asterisk baccalaureate bicuspid boutonniere borborygmus bouillon brouhaha cacophony calisthenics callus candelabra cannoli cantankerous cappuccino caricature catachresis cataclysm catastrophe catharsis celerity chamomile chandelier claustrophobia clientele colloquial connoisseur conscientious convivial delineate diaphanous dirigible eclectic egregious ephemeral equanimity espionage euonymus execrable extraneous |
fallacious filibuster flibbertigibbet gazetteer garrulous gourmand gratuitous guerdon hacienda hegemony horologium hypocritical iconoclast idiosyncratic ignominy implacable impuissance inchoate incontrovertible indefatigable inexorable infallible inoculate intransigence inveigh iontophoresis irrepressible jacquard jodhpurs jurisprudence kanone knickknack kuchen largesse lederhosen loathsome logarithm logorrhea maelstrom masseuse mayonnaise millennium milieu milquetoast mischievous mulligatawny myrrh nadir nouveau nugatory onomatopoeia ophthalmologist panache paraphrasable pastiche peccadillo peripatetic phenomenon |
phlebitis picnicking pirouette poignancy posthumous preemptory psephology pseudonym ptyalism quandary querulous questionnaire quiescent quixotic rampageous rapacious raucously rendezvous restaurateur resuscitate rinceau sacrilegious spontaneity streusel stupefying stymie surreptitiously susceptible synecdoche synonymous tableau tarantula terpsichorean troubadour turpitude tutelage tyrannical ubiquitous unconscious undecipherable unwarranted unwieldiness vaccinate variegated vehement vengeance veterinarian vicissitude vigilante virtuoso whippoorwill withhold writhe zephyr zooxanthella zucchini
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Unfamiliar Words
One reason some of these words are so difficult is that they may be unfamiliar to you. Perhaps you don't know how to pronounce them, and/or you don't know what they mean. This table will acquaint you with 40 of the most difficult hard words to spell. A printable version of this table is also available for your convenience.
EI/IE Words
Some words on the list of 172 are difficult because of the tricky vowel combinations of EI and IE. These words include achievement, acquiesce, apartheid, boutonniere, chandelier, and many more.
Finish going through this list of 172 words, listing EI/IE words on a sheet of paper. Sort them into two columns, one with the EI words, and the other with the IE words. Study each list separately. Learn the words together as a group. If you can remember the correct spelling of a few of the words in the group, that increases your changes of learning the correct spellings of all the words in the same group!
To learn more of these tricky vowel-combination words, please see my list of 285 difficult spelling words, that also contain EI or IE words.
Words with Silent Consonants
These words from the list contain silent consonants: apartheid, apocryphal, chamomile, inveigh, jodhpurs, zucchini, and many more. Again, make a list on paper of words with silent consonants. Circle the silent letters, and study these words carefully. For a fun exercise, see this Silent Letter Word Search. Students must add the correct silent letters and then locate the completed words in the puzzle.
Words with Double Consonants
When adding certain word endings, or suffixes, it is necessary to double the final consonant of the base word. At other times, the final consonant is not doubled. Sometimes the final e is dropped from the base word. Other times it isn't. From our list of 172 words, please notice these words:
aberrant, abhorrence, achievement, acquisitiveness, questionnaire, and other words of your choice
Write them under four columns on your paper, labeling them "Double," "Don't Double," "Drop the E," "Don't Drop the E."
Label a fifth column for miscellaneous words with simply "Double Consonants." In this final column, you can write mayonnaise, myrrh, whippoorwill, withhold, and others.
Go to this Step-by-Step Lesson for more help in double or not doubling the final consonant in base words when adding suffixes.
Additional Lists of Hard Spelling Words:
- Tricky Elementary Spelling Words
- 102 Frequently Misspelled words
- Difficult IE/EI Spelling words
- 8th grade spelling words
- 9th grade spelling words
- 10th grade spelling words
- 11th grade spelling words
- 12th grade spelling words
- Spelling Demons Sometimes the words that trip us up are those that are easily-confused with other words, like desert/dessert and allusion/illusion. Master this list to improve your spelling skills.
For some really tough spelling words, we have a list of 100 Difficult Spelling Words for Spelling Bee Officials. We've included the pronunciation, definition, part of speech, etymology and a sentence for each word. If you're having a serious competition, this list is for you!
Did you know one of the best
motivations for
students to boost their spelling skills? It's called a SPELLING BEE! We
have a huge set of
resources
to make your next classroom competition a success!
Spelling Lessons
Step-by-Step Lesson - This lesson methodically teaches when to double, and when not to double, the final consonant when adding suffixes.
Step-By-Step Spelling Lesson Plans - Here's a very methodical way to teach, or learn, those tricky IE/EI words. Great for ESL students, upper elementary students, or adults. You can use every step of this lesson, or just the ones that you need. This free printable lesson includes a link to big list of IE/EI words for extra study and practice.
FAQs
Q: What makes some words so hard to spell?
Q: What makes some words so hard to spell?
A : Words may be unfamiliar, contain silent letters, tricky vowel combinations, or double consonants, among other reasons.
Q: Is it possible to improve my spelling skills?
Q: Is it possible to improve my spelling skills?
A: Yes! It helps to regularly study challenging word lists, such as the word lists found at www.spelling-words-well.com, and other reputable education websites. Reading good literature and newspapers also improves vocabulary and spelling ability. Get help with pronunciations. word meanings, and languages of origin from www.dictionary.com or hard copy resources. It helps to learn as much about a word as possible while learning to spell it.
Other Resources:
As
student learn difficult words, make sure they know how to use them
correctly. We have lots of fun spelling practice ideas, as
well as spelling word
games and spelling
worksheets.
Be sure to try new ideas and share the ones that
work best with other students, parents and teachers.
Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.
Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.
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