ADVERTISEMENT

I absolutely adore the English language with all of its ups and downs, twists and turns, astounding hyperboles and alliterative inclinations. And let's not forget the puns! However, it's no secret that the language can be a tad… discombobulating for new students, anyone who's learning English as a second language, and native speakers alike.

To show you what we mean, the literature-loving philology fans here at Bored Panda have collected the most hilarious and honest examples of people showing how frustrating the English language can be for them. Have a read below, upvote your fave posts, and remember to share your own experience with the exciting journey that is learning English.

#2

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

kiwikoalacat7 Report

Add photo comments
POST
andreavilarmelego avatar
Ozacoter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love english and its probably my favourite language for its grammal simplicity and plasticity. But the random pronunciation drives me insane.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#3

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
numptygamer avatar
Phendrena
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Needs more upvotes. "the sound a plunger makes" outstanding and 100% hilarious

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

During an earlier interview, I spoke to Dr. Lisa McLendon about the difficulties that foreign students face when learning English, as well as how to keep our linguistic skills sharp. Dr. McLendon is the News and Information Track Chair at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Coordinator at the Bremner Editing Center.

According to Dr. McLendon, a lot of the difficulties that foreign students face depend on the languages that they already know. Those who know languages similar to English in their structure and logic will have an easier time.

#5

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

#6

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

“For students whose native language lacks articles (a, an, the), articles are by far the hardest category of words to master. Verb tense/aspect is also really hard—the difference between ‘I read,' ‘I am reading,' and ‘I do read' is nonexistent in many other languages,” the language expert explained.

ADVERTISEMENT
#7

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
susannaental_1 avatar
Dynein
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but that's true for every language. You rarely have "full" synonyms that are completely interchangeable in every context (non-native speakers are generally detectable by breaking unspoken context rules) . Apart from minute differences in meaning, most words also have meanings beyond the thing they describe, such as opinion.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Just memorizing common words doesn't help overcome these linguistic barriers. What needs to happen is for the student in question to completely shift their mindset. That and practice things until the quirks of the English language become second nature to them.

“These don't pose any difficulties for native speakers who use them correctly without even thinking about it,” Dr. McLendon said about the linguistic nuances.

It's not just foreign speakers that have issues with the language, though. The professor highlighted that in her experience as an editor and an educator, she found that native speakers have trouble with past passive participles in speech (e.g. saying ‘I had went').

ADVERTISEMENT

What's more, when it comes to writing, native speakers have issues with punctuation, homophones (e.g. peek vs. peak), and misplaced modifiers.

#14

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

#15

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
susannaental_1 avatar
Dynein
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sarcasm, I guess. Use the word in a sarcastic context too often and it changes the meaning to the opposite. Happens frequently.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Dr. McLendon suggested that nobody rest on their laurels. Learning's a lifelong mission and improving our English skills is no exception. And if we want to keep our minds well-honed and our quills sharp, then we're going to have to get some good habits under our belts.

#18

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

TweetSmarter Report

Add photo comments
POST
guygreej avatar
guy greej
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I warn bored panda to remove this one. This could cause various murders by the readers here.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

“Read! Read widely and frequently. Read magazines, newspapers, novels, even cereal boxes,” the language expert told Bored Panda. “But be careful when scrolling through social media, which although it can give you a good idea of current slang and shorthand, it's often not a great model of clarity, accuracy, or good grammar.”

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda

When it comes to pronunciation, though, Dr. McLendon pointed out that both native speakers and foreign students alike have problems with it. Especially when we're talking about less common words like ‘epitome.'

“I've known lots of people who learned words by reading, not by hearing, and so had no idea how they were pronounced. But for people learning English, pronunciation can be a real nightmare,” the professor said.

#22

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

illogicalphallusies Report

Add photo comments
POST
nicolaroberts avatar
Nicola Roberts
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was taking a TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign Language) qualification in Japan, and one of the exercises I had to do was read to a class of students. The one word that stuck in my mind was black bird versus blackbird. The difference is so subtle, but I hadn't given it any thought until you had to explain the difference.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
costa2706 avatar
Kari Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My English teacher taught me not to use "handy" in English because it would be a derogatory term for handicapped people. Is that true?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#24

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

“We have words that are spelled similarly but pronounced differently (bomb/comb/tomb) and words that are spelled differently but sound the same (peek/peak/pique). Plus, English has a lot of words that have silent letters, which can be confusing.”

ADVERTISEMENT
#25

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
vicmicbee avatar
Victor Botha
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And here is another strange "Americdnism" I spit my cereal, I would say I spat my cereal...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Dr. McLendon was candid that English is much more chaotic than other languages in terms of how spelling reflects pronunciation and vice versa. “English is a Gallic overlay on a Germanic base, plus it has borrowed liberally from languages all around the world throughout its development,” she told Bored Panda.

#28

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a medical condition which resulting in tearing of the cornea. When I write that, people sometime get confused. My cornea doesn't produce liquid, it rips apart and is excruciatingly painful, but tearing can make it feel a little better because the liquid lubricates and protects the tear.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#30

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
speer5884msn_com avatar
speer5884@msn.com
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the B in tomb is silent, and the E in time is silent, and the T in often is silent, and the H in honor is silent, how do you pronounce BETH? It's all silent letters!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

“When a word comes into English, where it comes from, and when a spelling gets standardized all affect how a word is written in relation to how it sounds. Other languages may not be exactly ‘spelled like it sounds' but have set patterns of how pronunciation does not correspond with spelling.”

ADVERTISEMENT
#31

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
tsweda avatar
Thomas Sweda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because the Frigidaire brand became so popular that “fridge” was used as the term for all refrigerators.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#32

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

#33

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Sea_Break_8070 Report

Add photo comments
POST
vicmicbee avatar
Victor Botha
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do Americans say dove instead of dived? He dived into the pool, not he dove into the pool. That is what I was taught at school anyway. Also hanged and hung He was hanged from the tree, not he was hung from the tree. Is this a specifically American thing. No offence, just genuinely would like to know.

kaoconno avatar
kathoco
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dove is typically American, a change that occurred in the 19th century, probably by analogy to drive/drove. I serisouly doubt however that British speakers scrupulously distinguish hung/hanged, whereas Americans do not. It's the same verb, the past form "hung" emerged in England in the 16th century and hanged is generally used in legal contexts. SInce it's a same verb, it's an artificial dichotomy. I don't know of any other verb that has the same etymon but two different past forms as a function of the object being manipulated. I set aside cases like shaven/shaved, where shaven is only adjectival (and actually comes from the verb "shear", whereas as shaved comes from shave). Btw, I am a professor of English linguistics.

Load More Replies...
mrsb4905 avatar
Lindsey Judd-Bruder
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone talking about the crazy English language, which is true, but NOBODY sees that shadow???

saqibwaseem avatar
Saqib Waseem
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

https://saqibwaseem1234.blogspot.com/2022/08/how-to-communicate-fluently-in-english.html

smaej712 avatar
Sheila Johnstone
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'll try to think of a sentence for these... one of them kind of doesn't really count ...but how about desert....desert.....and dessert....

oberlinmom1 avatar
Susan Egan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had this list printed out poster size to display outside of an elementary school library. The kids loved trying to read them. Eventually we'd go through them during class but it was fun to hear them in the hall realizing each word meant something different and were pronounced differently. The conversations were great.

klherout avatar
Lou Herout
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How can I intimidate his intimate's intimates while I intimate mine?

evelyn_haskins_7 avatar
Evelyn Haskins
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the problem is that English Dictionaries were compiled many years ago. Also because the English dialect varies so much over short distances ANY spelling that is phonetic would be wrong in the next county, When I comes to Scottish, Welsh Irish, Indian, Australian , Canadian and the USA the language would disintegrate into many different languages. Think of 'correct spelling'; as much like Chinese ideograms.

janokaiser avatar
Jano Kaiser
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because we're three languages wrapped in a trenchcoat pretending to be one. Most of our vowel system derives from germanic patterns which are classified as strong and weak verbs (common in Dutch today). Therefore, drank, ran, saw, fell (strong derivation), and walked, felt, seemed, tested (weak derivation). Btw... nobody ever teaches us this.

janokaiser avatar
Jano Kaiser
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry...our *verb* system.... though our vowel inventory is a nightmare in fairness.

Load More Replies...
atlmainiac avatar
Martha Higgins
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When the word is a noun, the first syllable is stressed, when he word is a verb, the second syllable is stressed. Alternating stress patterns!

ohxrkqra avatar
Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stress on different parts of the words to change their meanings is not unique to English. English has more than five vowels but uses only five letters for them, also not unique to English.

blue1steven avatar
Donkey boi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Number 8, I pronounced as 'base' twice. Number 15, I did sewer (as in drain) twice. Other than that, made perfect sense!

lilliancastellow avatar
PrincessTheSiameseKat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the sad thing is this makes perfect sense to me yet I am terrible at learning other languages lol

els_g avatar
Elsker
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

noun: PROduce verb: proDUCe.... it all makes sense suddenly

vickyz avatar
Vicky Z
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Am i the only one that think that English is one of the easiest languages to learn?

guygreej avatar
guy greej
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#35

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

GabbieHanna Report

Add photo comments
POST
shaunmay avatar
Shaun May
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The country’s starting letter(s) switched from ‘f’ to ‘ph’ when Spanish rule was replaced by American rule. No idea why the same did not happen to the demonym, however.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#38

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
helaumur avatar
Helenium
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Human was first recorded in the mid 13th century, and owes its existence to the Middle French humain “of or belonging to man.” That word, in turn, comes from the Latin humanus, thought to be a hybrid relative of homo, meaning “man,” and humus, meaning “earth.” Thus, a human, unlike birds, planes, or even divine spirits up above, is a man firmly rooted to the earth

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#39

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
saragregory0508 avatar
N G
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You used to be able to just step on the bus and remain standing (back when there were conductors and the entrance/exit was at the back). Time moves on and language doesn't. Do you still hang up the phone?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#40

Reasons-English-Language-Frustrating

Report

Add photo comments
POST
saragregory0508 avatar
N G
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The capitalisation aids understanding, but spoils the effect.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 82 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.