# difficulty

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ · frequency rank #4,078

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

## Easily confused with
- **difficult** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/difficult-vs-difficulty)

## Common misspellings (14)
`ddifficulty`, `dfificulty`, `diffciulty`, `difficculty`, `difficluty`, `difficullty`, `difficultty`, `difficultyy`, `difficulyt`, `difficutly`, `diffiuclty`, `dificulty`, `dififculty`, `idfficulty`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/difficulty