difficulty

/ˈdɪfɪkəlti/

//ˈdɪfɪkəlti// noun

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

"difficulty" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“difficulty” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,078 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,078
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being difficult, or hard to do.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

difficulty vs difficult
90% similar

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

Key facts for difficulty
PropertyValue
Headworddifficulty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪfɪkəlti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,078
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “difficulty” 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). difficulty lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for difficulty is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,078 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for difficulty, with forms such as "ddifficulty", "dfificulty", and "diffciulty". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "difficult", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to di… The correct English form is difficulty, spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being difficult, or hard to do.
  2. 2
    An obstacle that hinders achievement of a goal.
  3. 3
    Physical danger from the environment, especially with risk of drowning
  4. 4
    An objection.
  5. 5
    That which cannot be easily understood or believed.
  6. 6
    An awkward situation or quarrel.

Etymology

From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equivalent to dis- + facile + -ty. Also analysable as difficult + -y, though the adjective is historically a backformation from the noun.

This word in other languages

dificultad(Español)difficulté(Français)Schwierigkeit(Deutsch)dificuldade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddifficulty,dfificulty,diffciulty,difficculty,difficluty,difficullty,difficultty,difficultyy,difficulyt,difficutly,diffiuclty,dificulty,dififculty,idfficulty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of difficulty - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddifficulty1dfificulty2diffciulty2difficculty1difficluty2difficullty1difficultty1difficultyy1
Edit distance from "difficulty"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "difficulty"?
"difficulty" is spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/.
What does "difficulty" mean?
As a noun, "difficulty" means: The state of being difficult, or hard to do.
What words are commonly confused with "difficulty"?
"difficulty" is commonly confused with "difficult". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "difficulty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "difficulty" is /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/. 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 "difficulty"?
From Middle English difficulte, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman difficulte and their etymon Latin difficultas, from difficul, older form of difficilis (“hard to do, difficult”), from dis- + facilis (“easy”); see difficile and difficult. Equiva... 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.

Using “difficulty”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “difficult” - see the side-by-side comparison. difficulty vs difficult
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list