difficult

\ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\

/\ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\/ adj

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

The verdict

“difficult” is an uncommon French word, ranked #70,532 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#70,532
frequency rank, French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Difficile.

Key facts for difficult
PropertyValue
Headworddifficult
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\
Letters9
Frequency rank#70,532
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “difficult” sits in French 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for difficult is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\. Corpus data places it at rank #70,532 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Difficile.".

Zero misspellings are on record for difficult in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is difficult, spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Difficile.

Antonyms

easy

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "difficult"?
"difficult" is spelled D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\.
What does "difficult" mean?
As an adjective, "difficult" means: Difficile.
How do you pronounce "difficult"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "difficult" is \ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "difficult" come from?
"difficult" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “difficult”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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