difficult

/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/

//ˈdɪfɪkəlt// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"difficult" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“difficult” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #903. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#903
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Hard, not easy, requiring much effort.

Corpus desk

Index EN-difficult · difficult · English

difficult · rank #903 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-CORE #903
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH die

Nearest frequency peer: die (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “difficult”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “difficult” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

difficult vs difficulty
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for difficult
PropertyValue
Headworddifficult
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#903
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “difficult” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). difficult lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around difficult (IPA /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #903 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for difficult, with forms such as "ddifficult", "dfificult", and "diffciult". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "difficulty", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see d… The correct English form is difficult, spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Hard, not easy, requiring much effort.
  2. 2
    Hard to manage, uncooperative, troublesome.
  3. 3
    Unable or unwilling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how difficult appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. difficult of accomplishment
  2. However, the difficult weather conditions will ensure Yunnan has plenty of freshwater.

Etymology

From Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile. Replaced native Middle English earveþ (“difficult, hard”), from Old English earfoþe (“difficult, laborious, full of hardship”), cognate to German Arbeit (“work”). The verb is from the adjective, partly after Middle French difficulter and its etymon Latin difficultō. Compare difficilitate, difficultate, and Italian difficoltare.

Synonyms

burdensomecumbersomehardarduouschallengingnastydifficulteffortfulrockythistlytoughuneathunsimple

Antonyms

easy

This word in other languages

difícil(Español)difficile(Français)schwer(Deutsch)difícil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddifficult
  • dfificult
  • diffciult
  • difficcult
  • difficlut
  • difficullt
  • difficultt
  • difficutl
  • diffiuclt
  • dificult
  • dififcult
  • idfficult

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of difficult - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddifficult1dfificult2diffciult2difficcult1difficlut2difficullt1difficultt1difficutl2
Edit distance from "difficult"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "difficult"?
"difficult" is spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/.
What does "difficult" mean?
As an adjective, "difficult" means: Hard, not easy, requiring much effort.
What words are commonly confused with "difficult"?
"difficult" is commonly confused with "difficulty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "difficult"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "difficult" is /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "difficult"?
From Middle English difficult (ca. 1400), a back-formation from difficulte (whence modern difficulty), from Old French difficulté, from Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“eas... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "difficult", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

published#913Australia#922financial#874currently#868

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

December12 variantshospital12 variantsdaughter12 variantssystems12 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "difficult". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "difficulty". View pair
  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #903 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list