How to pronounce “difficult”
Say “difficult” in 3 beats
difficult
/ˈdɪfəkəlt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪfɪkəlt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- difdɪstress
- ficfə
- ultkəlt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈdɪfəkəlt/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪfɪkəlt/
- Respelling
- DI-fuh-kuhlt
- Syllables
- 3 — DIF-fic-ult
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: DIF-fic-ult. “dif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈdɪfəkəlt/
/dɪfɪkəlt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “difficult” means
- adjective
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
“a difficult task”
- adjective
hard to control; ,
“a difficult child”
Say it in a sentence
“The exam turned out to be more difficult than expected.”“difficult”, answered
How do you pronounce “difficult”?
“difficult” is pronounced /ˈdɪfəkəlt/ (DI-fuh-kuhlt) in American English and /dɪfɪkəlt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “dif”. Build it as DIF-fic-ult, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “difficult” have?
3: dif · fic · ult. The beat lands on the first, “dif”.
Is “difficult” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈdɪfəkəlt/ (DI-fuh-kuhlt); British English says /dɪfɪkəlt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “difficult” mean?
As an adjective: not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure For example: “a difficult task” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “difficult”?
Stress the first syllable: DIF-fic-ult. “dif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “difficult” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.