schwierig

\ˈʃviːʁɪç\

/\ˈʃviːʁɪç\/ adj

The verdict

“schwierig” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Difficile, dur, pénible, caractérise une tâche.

Corpus desk

Index FR-schwierig · schwierig · French

schwierig · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for schwierig
PropertyValue
Headwordschwierig
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈʃviːʁɪç\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « schwierig » en français

schwierigreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

schwierig is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˈʃviːʁɪç\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for schwierig in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is schwierig, spelled S-C-H-W-I-E-R-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Difficile, dur, pénible, caractérise une tâche.
  2. 2
    Difficile, dur, pénible, caractérise une situation.
  3. 3
    Au caractère difficile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Es ist schwieriger, eine vorgefasste Meinung zu zertrümmern als ein Atom. — (Albert Einstein)
  2. Ja es ist wirklich schwierig, fast 12 Stunden nichts zu essen und meist auch nicht zu trinken. Dann kann man schon etwas auf dem Zahnfleisch gehen.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "schwierig"?
"schwierig" is spelled S-C-H-W-I-E-R-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈʃviːʁɪç\.
What does "schwierig" mean?
As an adjective, "schwierig" means: Difficile, dur, pénible, caractérise une tâche.
How do you pronounce "schwierig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schwierig" is \ˈʃviːʁɪç\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schwierig" come from?
"schwierig" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list