Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Every language has its tricks of the trade - the French are big on using all the letters they have in each word, only to actually spell two of them; the Germans are absolute champions in forming the longest words imaginable; while the Portuguese might make you think you weren’t born with the right set of vocal cords to correctly pronounce all of their words. As for English, well, although it might be the easiest language to learn - partly because there’s so much of it in most people’s daily lives - it does have a few tricks up its sleeve, too. Yup, we’re talking about hard words to spell, and the people on this Reddit thread (mind you, most of them are probably native speakers) have shared the English word spelling gems they cannot remember to this day.
So, what are hard words to spell that get these Redditors wishing for AutoCorrect or Grammarly every time they type? First off, there are the classics like ‘necessary,’ ‘definitely,’ and even the friggin’ ‘tomorrow.’ If they’re considered hard words for native speakers, then what about those of us for whom English is merely a secondary language? Should we be carrying a tiny little notebook with us at all times with these hard words to spell written down to check up on their spelling if need be? But wait, there’s also ‘bureaucracy,’ ‘renaissance,’ and ‘maneuvering,’ for god’s sake! Thankfully, though, commenters on this AskReddit were also kind enough to offer easy ways to remember these hard spelling words and their correct versions, so who knows, their spelling might be cracked one day after all.
Right, ready for a lesson in word spelling? Don’t worry, it’s also quite an amusing one, and if you struggle with these words, too, at least now you’ll know you’re not the only one!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
EdgyGoose said: "Necessary. I can never remember if it's two C's and one S or two S's and one C, or if it's two of each." kpgirb replied: "Somebody told me to think of this word as a T-shirt — one [C]ollar, two [S]leeves. It’s so dumb and I roll my eyes every time I spell necessary right. Ugh."
ConstantlyJon 2 years ago
that's a spectacular word association that I will 100% use moving forward!
ConstantlyJon 2 years ago
update: I already used it once yesterday. It works! I'm freeeeee!!!
Load More Replies...
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
I'm 58yo and a native speaker of English who was taught French and German, and both Greek and Latin word forms. I still have to Wed-nes-day every time.
Valek Fermiga 2 years ago
This is " Today I Learned " moment, will definitely be using this in future....
RELATED:
#2
User said: "Diarrhea." mikeyohh replied: "I’m from the UK and we spell it diarrhoea (I’m not sure if it’s different in other countries). I’ve always remembered it as ‘Dining In A Rough Restaurant, Hurry Or Expect Accidents’."
Tatiya Rivendark 2 years ago
I remember working in a place with so many staff there was a "sick book". Basically, people who phoned in sick got logged in the book and the management reviewed it in the morning. There was one entry that was about four attempts to spell diarrhoea all crossed out and then just "runny poo" as the reason.
#3
Technical-Berry8471 said: "Wensday." clinicalneuro_nerd replied: "I have to out loud say “Wed”, “nes”, “day” to get it right."
#4
User said: "Winchester-fire sauce." Lieb98 replied: "Worcestershire sauce?"
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
No need to spell Worcestershire if you can spell Lea & Perrins. If you use another brand, you're missing out.
Julie Snelling 2 years ago
I actually like the name Winchester-fire sauce shame Winchester and Worcestershire are not the same place and are many many miles away from each other.
#5
"Naeacious... neacious... neasius... Naw-shuss."
#6
First-Ad-5152 said: "Rennasance? Renaissance?" VarangianDreams replied: "It's the same "re" as in "reawaken", "reapply", and "return", so no double consonants after. It's a re-naissance, not another nnaissance, which isn't a word in any language."
BakedKahuna 2 years ago
Also the French spelling rules are consistant compared to the English.
Load More Replies... #8
"Conscious, sounds nothing like it's spelled."
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
"Sounds nothing like it's spelled" sums up probably a quarter of all English words (more, if you include place names in England)
#9
"For a person who does not have English as a first language, the words wich, witch, with, though, thought, through."
Donkey boi 2 years ago
As a native speaker of English, I understand. Although, you're not likely to use 'wich' unless you're heavy into your haberdashery. It's an old word for bundle of thread.
Lauren S 2 years ago (edited)
I didn’t know wich was a real word. which witch’s sandwich? I thoroughly thought that through. It was tough. 😁
Load More Replies...
Katelyn Lynn 2 years ago
Was was is before was was was. Or Cough Rough Through Though Don't rhyme But Pony and Bologna do
Katelyn Lynn 2 years ago
Those are the words that get me, as a native speaker.
Load More Replies...
#10
"Manoeuvering. I had to use the speech-to-text option on my keyboard to get it correctly."
#12
"Beutiful and nessessary, this biusiness keeps my guard up."
Katelyn Lynn 2 years ago
M i crooked letter crooked letter i crooked letter crooked letter i humpback humpback I. That's how my mom taught me to spell it. Just me?
Load More Replies... #13
"Hemorrhoids. Have to look it up every damn time."
#14
wheres_the_revolt said: "Bureaucracy." User replied: "In German, that word sounds similar but is way easier to pronounciate. Bürokratie. F**k that eau."
Brocken Blue 2 years ago
The blame for many of the stupidest spellings of English words can be laid directly on the French language’s “choose a vowel any vowel, then skip the rest” approach to pronunciation
#15
"Ceiling. Honestly, those stupid ei words get me every time."
Katelyn Lynn 2 years ago
I before e except after c, except for weird, counterfeit, beige, neighbor, height, weight, etc. Sometimes I hate my language.
Summer Woodsong 2 years ago
"I" before "e", unless it's not... Oh, whatever!! Word will let me know!
#16
HellYeahTinyRick said: "Apparently, it’s “Definitely.” I swear to god no one can spell it correctly." permacloud replied: "Just remember it has "finite" in it. The rest spells itself."
Brocken Blue 2 years ago
This one is easy though! All those vowels and consonants taking turns politely, and no silent suckers to fück you up!
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
I think we're hitting the millennials now. One up to the boomers who were taught how to spell and, most importantly, corrected rather than cosseted if they got it wrong.
#17
Riq4 said: "Onomatopoeia." who-are-we-anyway replied: "This is the exact word that would immediately cause me to lose in a spelling bee."
Sami-Jo Ross 2 years ago
When I was in elementary school my teacher taught us to break it down into three letter segments, which made it significantly easier to spell (and I still use that method to this day).
#18
ginga_balls said: "Thorough." Ergotnometry replied: "I always put a u after the first o and then go back and delete it when it looks too long."
#19
"Reconnaissance. Or destroy. I know perfectly well how to spell it but I typed "destory" twice in a row in a context where that was a very interesting mistake, and now my muscle memory won't forget it."
#20
"I often times have to double check if I'm using enough 'c's and 'm's in 'recommendation'."
#21
"Conciousness. Don't even know if that's spelled right. It gets even better when you negate it and make it an adverb."
#22
uncertainusurper said: "Excersize." NSFAnythingAtAll replied: "There’s definitely not a Z in it. Just remember, no sleeping in the gym."
#24
throwawaysadgurl69 said: "Vacuum!" EddieRando21 replied: "Yes! I spell it many times a day and I can never remember if it's 2 Cs and 2 Us or 2 Cs and 1 U or 1 C and 2 Us."
#26
"Apparently, the cemetery has three e's and is not spelled cemetary."
#27
"Sternocleidomastoid. Every time I try to vanish it from existence I fail, unlike all the other words that I have obliterated from reality."
#28
"I can only spell "Mississippi" if I say it in Spanish in my head. No clue why."
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago (edited)
I never had a problem with that thanks to some inane "follow the bouncing ball" cartoon I saw just once over 50 years ago and which has been stuck in my head ever since (thanks, brain). "M I S, S I S, S I P P I. It used to be so hard to spell it used to make me cry". I am sure it will serve me well if ever I visit the U.S.A.
Terry Tobias 2 years ago
It was probably 'Schoolhouse Rock'! That's the way I remember how to spell it.
Load More Replies... Summer Woodsong 2 years ago
"M", "I", crooked letter, crooked letter, "I", crooked letter, crooked letter, "I", "P", "P", "I" I have no idea where I learned this, but I do it every time I spell the word.
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
Mississississississississississississississississississippi (it's a long river)
Display_Name 2 years ago
There's a New England state that starts with Mass that I can't say or spell.
#29
"Approximately is the one I'm known to mess up a lot. Some countries I'm also useless at spelling, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Vanuatu, etc. My main problem is not spelling but typing, especially on mobile."
#31
BCphoton said: "Restaurant, idk why." First-Ad-5152 replied: "I never know where the damn "a" goes."
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
And then it gets more confusing because the person who runs a restaurant is a Restaurateur (no 'n')
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Same, and my spellcheck can't work out what my mis-spelling means, so I have to change one letter and then use the spell check!
Fussy1 2 years ago
Restaurant- the A's stuck U in the middle again. When I confuse tf out of my spell check, I resort to speech to text. Lol
Load More Replies... #32
HumpieDouglas said: "Banana and bananas I have to sing 'It's bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S'." alectromantia replied: "Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani saved many of us from learning to spell Bananas. I sing it in my head every single time."
#33
knnss1 said: "Not sure if it's center or centre." ccurlyism replied: "I think it depends on where you’re from but both work. kind of like theater and theatre."
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
America - center and theater. Everywhere else in the world - centre and theatre. And metric, centigrade and ddmmyy.
#34
abdel_allim said: "Unfortunately (I'm not a native speaker)." Extesht replied: "That could be considered unfortunate since English is extremely difficult to learn as a second language."
#35
"Gorgeous. I always wanna spell goregous."
#37
"Liaison. Which used to be in my job title argh."
LazyStream 2 years ago
I was analyst and couldn't spell that until I started thinking "a**l- yst"
#38
"Intussusception. Can’t spell it, can’t pronounce it, no matter how many times I try. Impossible."
#39
Toastand_beans said: "Beautiful idk why but that’s it." kpgirb replied: "I think of the Bruce Almighty scene whenever I try to spell this."
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
fifth grade, I think. Teacher said "there are no words with three vowels in a row: I, snotty little I, immediately said 'beautiful'. She got mad.
#40
ElSenorOwl said: "Tomorrow." raebz12 replied: "Grandpa taught me to look at it like a name. Tom Orrow."
#41
yParticle said: "✓ four. ✗ fourty. ✗ forteen. What the hell, man?" _jamesbaxter replied: "Is it, not fourteen??? Maybe in the US, it’s different? I’m in the US and my autocorrect says fourteen."
#42
"Volcano. For some reason I always spell Vulcano."
#43
91NA8 said: "Guarantee?" User replied: "My answer. I always remember it's spelled weirdly, but then forget if it's because there is a U or isn't a U. I hate it."
#44
"Inconvenience... which is honestly quite the inconvenience whenever I need to write out that stumping word."
#45
"That town in Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch."
#46
Tonto811 said: "A person that flies an airplane. I always struggle to spell that word for some reason." ccurlyism replied: "Pilot?" Tonto811 replied: "Yes, a pielot."
#47
"Medieval sounds so much like midevil to me."
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
That's what it sound like when I hear Americans saying it on tv. I sometimes put in an extra i because it sounds like medi-evil
#48
GobanToba said: "Quite and quiet, not super hard to spell but I have to think about it every single time." _daithi replied: "Just remember that you drink (T)ea in silence."
#49
"Fortunately. I butcher this word so much that the autocorrect struggles to find the correct word so I have to google it lol."
Never Snarky 2 years ago
I know how to spell the it but my fingers never remember how to type it.
#50
"For some reason, I cannot spell phantom. Like every time I try to spell phantom I mess up. Let me try Fatom… factom… fantum… pantom… phatum. GOD DAMMIT I JUST WON'T SPELL PHANTOM."
#51
"Michael. I usually transpose the “a” and “e” in my first attempt."
#52
"Cinnamon. For some reason, I always type it with one n and an extra I where the A is. It’s not a hard word. My brain just never gets it."
#53
"Eichhörnchenscheiße. Good luck with that to all non-natives."
Ace 2 years ago
I would spell it just fine, but I didn't know the word for squirrel. But why does it include the diminutive, I wonder?
BakedKahuna 2 years ago
It's just the name of it. There's no version for squirrel without the diminutive.
Load More Replies... #55
"Gullible. I am usually good at spelling but can almost never remember how to spell this one. It should be easy but I try to put extra vowels in."
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
Apparently "gullible" isn't in the official dictionary...look it up...
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
The -ible or -able, -ent or -ant, and -ence or -ance always flummox me.
#56
Criz_Chan06 said: "Receive. For God's sake, I get it wrong 85% of the time." _daithi replied: "I before E except after C."
#57
"Environment. I always get it to "environement"."
#58
"Woolly. Always 100% of the time will write 'wolly'. And yes, I surprise myself with how much I use the word."
#59
"Privilege. I want to put an I where an e goes and vice versa every time."
#60
"Psycho. Every damn time I see "physco". Like please for the love of God sound out what you just wrote." "Just realized I'm more ranting about a word that's hard for other people. For me the first word that pops into my mind is occurrence. Sometimes I forget an r, sometimes I spell it with ance."
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I always pronounce the artist Sycco wrong because it looks like sicko, but is supposed to be psycho!
What do you think ?
whineygingercat 2 years ago
Masquerade. The ONLY reason I can spell this correctly is because of The Phantom Of The Opera
whineygingercat 2 years ago
Masquerade. The ONLY reason I can spell this correctly is because of The Phantom Of The Opera
You May Like 116 Difficult Words For The Linguist In You 60 Funny Controversial Topics People On The Internet Loved Discussing 42 Of The Worst Concerts Ever These People Had The Dubious Pleasure Of Witnessing
Neilas Šurkus
Natallia Pisarenka
Justina Čiapaitė
Related on Bored Panda
