English can be a real pain, and even native speakers stumble over some of the particularly difficult English words. Sometimes they're simply unpronounceable, and other times they're so frequently misused that their original meaning has long been forgotten. As a follow-up to our article on the most beautiful and the most confusing English words , here's a summary of the ten most difficult English words.
1. LITERALLY
If you know a language purist, listen up. The misuse of this word has already raised a few people's blood pressure. 'Literally' means 'in a literal sense' or 'what I'm saying isn't made up, but happened exactly as I say it.' Therefore, popular pronunciations like 'I literally died laughing' or 'He was so embarrassed his cheeks literally burned up' are incorrect. (Interestingly, due to this sheer extent of misuse, the Oxford English Dictionary has included an informal use for 'literally' to use it as a means of emphasis, as in the English examples above. Just don't tell the grammar police!)
2. IRONIC
Here's a word that baffles almost every English speaker—natives and all. (No, really—we could write a whole guide on the proper use of irony!) While irony is often understood to be a coincidence or a strange turn of events, this doesn't quite capture its full meaning. (In fact, Alanis Morissette's famous song "Ironic," with its 10 pathetic examples of irony, shows us that coincidences and unfortunate events don't cut it.) While the concept of irony is quite diverse, the simplest way to explain it is as a way of using words to express the opposite of their intended meaning. However, unlike sarcasm (which also serves this purpose), irony is not meant to be hurtful. But wait! There's also dramatic irony, situational irony, historical irony, and so on. Oh boy! So, what should you do in the face of such a vast array of options? One possibility is… just not to bother. To be honest, irony is not an important part of our everyday lives, and nobody will think badly of you if you don't use the word at all!
3. IRREGARDLESS (INSTEAD OF REGARDLESS)
You may have heard people say 'irregardless' when they actually mean 'regardless'. 'Regardless' means 'notwithstanding' or 'despite something' ('He maxed out his credit card regardless of the consequences,') and is perfectly acceptable. But no matter what you might think, 'irregardless' is not a synonym! Because of the double negative (the prefix -ir means 'not' and no prefix means 'without' or 'un'), it's 'not regardless', which is the opposite of what the speaker actually wanted to express. Ouch! So remember: While 'irregardless' appears in dictionaries, it's listed as a non-standard word. This means that although it more or less exists, it shouldn't be used by people who want to learn and speak English properly.
4. WHOM
Who would have thought such a small word could be so confusing! In English, we use 'who' to refer to the subject of a sentence and 'whom' for the object. But how do you know which one to use when? Try answering the question 'him' or 'he' for yourself. If 'him' could be the answer, then 'whom' is the right word. (A little trick: both words end in -m.) For example: “Who/whom are you going to Brazil with?” Would you answer 'With him' or 'With he'? You would choose 'him' – so 'whom' is also correct!
5. COLONEL
This is a pronunciation disaster for many students! When you look at the word, you probably think it's pronounced co-lo-nel. And who could blame you? However, it's not that simple, as it's pronounced kernel. But how did 'colonel' come to be spelled that way? Well, there's an old story about borrowing words that keeps popping up throughout history. 'Colonel' actually came from French, and the French originally borrowed it from Italian, changing one letter (coronel). Then English claimed the word for itself, before the English and French changed it back to the original spelling (and the English gave it a whole new pronunciation in the process). *Phew!*
6. NONPLUSSED
Feeling a little perplexed ('nonplussed') after our brief journey through language history? That's perfectly understandable. We've arrived at our sixth tricky word, and once again, a pesky prefix is the culprit. Since the prefix -non means "not," some people misinterpret 'nonplussed' as "unimpressed" or "uninterested." But in reality, 'nonplussed' means "confused" or "not knowing what to think." Unfortunately, this word is used so often for both meanings that, at least in written English, it's often difficult to discern what the writer actually intended to express.
7. DISINTERESTED
Imagine you're in court. What kind of judge would you want for your case? An 'uninterested' or a 'disinterested' judge? I hope you choose the latter! While an 'uninterested' judge might yawn and play on their phone, a 'disinterested' judge would likely listen to all sides of the case and deliver an objective verdict. Remember: Someone who is disinterested is not biased and doesn't take a position, whereas an uninterested person isn't primarily interested in something.
8. ENORMITY
This is a big deal! It seems quite simple. 'Enormity' is so similar to 'enormous' that they must be synonyms. Right? Wrong! 'Enormity' means 'extremely evil' in the nail-biting, medieval, or ruthless dictatorial sense. Therefore, the extraordinarily common phrase 'The enormity of the situation…' is incorrect. (Unless you're actually talking about a malicious act. Which we hope you're not!)
9th Lieutenant
Another military term to confuse us! This one is an example of different pronunciations "across the pond" between the US and the UK. In British English, the word is pronounced "leftenant," whereas in the United States, you'll hear it pronounced "loo-tenant." While both countries have retained the same spelling—you know, to make it more interesting!—the American pronunciation is increasingly being heard in other English-speaking countries.
10. UNABASHED
What's the prefix doing in an unfamiliar word like "abash"? Well, while "abash" does indeed exist (it means "to shame" or "to confuse"), it wasn't widely used for centuries. The negative variant, "unabashed," on the other hand, is used today and means "not ashamed." So next time you're practicing English, speak with proud enthusiasm!
Post a Comment for "10 more difficult English words to learn"