Moved to study in the UK but still find some words tricky? Here's our guide to some of the hardest words in English
English is undoubtedly the biggest language in the world, not just because it’s one of the most spoken in the world, but due to its status as a global language. English is used as the global language of business, politics and entertainment, so is everywhere.
You’ll probably find that you will need to know some English at some point in your life, especially if you are moving to study abroad in an English speaking country. English may not be the easiest language to master, but there are some words that are more difficult than others. Here are our pick of the hardest words in English.
Necessary
This is probably one of the hardest words for both English and non-English speakers to spell and get right. Necessary sounds like it should have two Cs and two Ss but it turns out that it only has one C and two Ss, just to confuse you. Why we’ll never know.
Affect or Effect
Using these two words correctly can be tricky, even for native speakers. Affect is used when something is in action and is affected, whilst effect refers to an end consequence, how something affects you emotionally, for example.
Accommodation
Here at StudyFlats, we use this word a lot, so we don’t often get it wrong. But accommodation is another one of those words that has two lots of the same letters. In this case, it has two Cs and two Ms.
Rhythm
Rhythm is another one of those tricky English spellings because it’s all too tempting to try and spell it how you say it. If you’re struggling to spell rhythm, remember this mnemonic: “Rhythm helps your two hips move”.
Stationary vs. Stationery
Another two words that sound almost exactly the same but mean totally different things. Stationary means to come to a halt or to stay still, whilst stationery is the sort of stuff you use to write and draw with.
Hopefully, we’ve helped clear up some of the hardest words in English for you, for more helpful guides, be sure to check out our blog.
