130 Hard Vocabulary Words

This Blog Includes:

1. Why Spelling in English Is so Difficult?
2. List of Hard Vocabulary Words in English
3. Difficult Words in English A-E
4. Difficult Words in English F-J
5. Difficult Words in English K-O
6. Difficult Words in English P-T
7. Difficult Words in English U-Z (Bonus 4)
8. Want to practice and improve your English skills?
9. Frequently Asked Questions on Hard Words?

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Why Spelling in English Is so Difficult?

English, though a very popular language, has been difcult for alot due to its complex history, diverse influences, and inconsistencies. English has borrowed extensively from other languages, including Latin, French, German, and Greek. This has led to a mishmash of spelling rules and conventions. For example, words like 'knight' and 'gnome' have silent letters due to their Old English or Greek origins. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, a major pronunciation change, known as the Great Vowel Shift, altered the way vowels were pronounced in English. However, spelling largely remained the same, which is why words like 'bite' and 'meet' have vowels that don’t match their sounds.

Vocabulary quiz maker, like Examize can be used to quiz yourself on these words. With multiple choice questions and answers it allows you to practive your vocab words.By repeatedly encountering vocabulary words in different contexts or formats, quizzes reinforce learning. This repetition helps you remember and use words more effectively

List of Hard Vocabulary Words in English:

This list of words will help you improve your reading skills, increase in knowledge in the language and communication skills. You and your friends can create placards featuring challenging words and quiz each other on their meanings. This enjoyable activity will keep you engaged while helping you remember those tough words more easily.Try to time yourself to see how much you get right.

Difficult Words in English A-E

#	Hard Word	Meaning
1	Abnegation	Renouncing a belief or doctrine
2	Aggrandize	enhance power, wealth or status
3	Alacrity	Eagerness
4	Anachronistic	misplaced chronologically
5	Archetypal	quintessential of a certain kind
6	Ascetic	one who practices self-denial as part of spiritual discipline
7	Beguile	influence someone in a deceptive way
8	Blandishment	intentional flattery for persuasion
9	Cajole	persuade by flattery or coaxing
10	Callous	disregard for others
11	Camaraderie	a sense of solidarity arising out of familiarity and sociability
12	Circumlocution	expressing someone in an indirect way
13	Clamour	proclaim something noisily
14	Cognizant	awareness or realization
15	Construe	interpret or assign meaning
16	Convivial	enjoyable atmosphere or jovial company
17	Demagogue	a political leader who uses rhetoric to appeal to prejudices and desires of ordinary citizens
18	Denigrate	belittle someone
19	Didactic	instructive with a moral intent
20	Disparate	of a distinct kind
21	Enervate	To weaken or drain energy from
22	Ephemeral	Lasting for a very short time
23	Esoteric	Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge
24	Ebullient	Cheerful and full of energy
25	Exacerbate	To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse
26	Enervate	To weaken or drain energy from
27	Ephemeral	Lasting for a very short time
28	Esoteric	Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge
29	Ebullient	Cheerful and full of energy
30	Exacerbate	To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse

The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary. - J.K Rowling

Difficult Words in English F-J

#	Hard Word	Meaning
31	Fastidious	Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail
32	Fatuous	Silly and pointless
33	Florid	Excessively intricate or elaborate; having a red or flushed complexion
34	Fortuitous	Happening by chance or luck, often in a fortunate way
35	Fractious	Inclined to make trouble; unruly
36	Garrulous	Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters
37	Gregarious	Fond of company; sociable
38	Grandiloquent	Pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner
39	Glib	Fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow
40	Guile	Sly or cunning intelligence
41	Hackneyed	Lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite
42	Hapless	Unfortunate; having bad luck
43	Harangue	A lengthy and aggressive speech
44	Heinous	Utterly odious or wicked
45	Hubris	Excessive pride or self-confidence
46	Impecunious	Having little or no money
47	Inexorable	Impossible to stop or prevent; relentless
48	Indefatigable	Persisting tirelessly
49	Inscrutable	Impossible to understand or interpret
50	Intransigent	Unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree about something
51	Juxtapose	To place or deal with close together for contrasting effect
52	Jingoistic	Characterized by extreme patriotism, especially in the form of aggressive or warlike behavior
53	Jettison	To throw or drop something from an aircraft or ship
54	Judicious	Having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense
55	Jocular	Fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful

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We must always enjoy learning even through the hard vocab words.

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Difficult Words in English K-O

#	Hard Word	Meaning
56	Knell	The sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral
57	Kinetic	Relating to or resulting from motion
58	Knavery	Dishonest or unscrupulous behavior
59	Kibosh	To put an end to; dispose of decisively
60	Kafkaesque	Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity
61	Laconic	Using very few words; concise
62	Languid	Displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed
63	Largesse	Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
64	Leviathan	A thing that is very large or powerful, especially a large sea monster
65	Lugubrious	Looking or sounding sad and dismal
66	Mendacious	Not telling the truth; lying
67	Munificent	More generous than is usual or necessary
68	Magnanimous	Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful
69	Misanthrope	A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society
70	Maladroit	Ineffective or bungling; clumsy
71	Nefarious	Wicked or criminal
72	Nadir	The lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
73	Nascent	Just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential
74	Nonplussed	Surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react
75	Nostrum	A medicine, especially one that is not considered effective, prepared by an unqualified person
76	Obfuscate	To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible
77	Ostentatious	Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
78	Obdurate	Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action
79	Obstreperous	Noisy and difficult to control
80	Opulent	Ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish

Want to Build your own Vocab Quiz: Try Examize

Difficult Words in English P-T

#	Hard Word	Meaning
81	Pedantic	Overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching
82	Prosaic	Commonplace or dull; lacking poetic beauty
83	Pernicious	Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
84	Prevaricate	To speak or act in an evasive way; to lie
85	Pusillanimous	Showing a lack of courage or determination; timid
86	Quagmire	A soft, boggy area of land that gives way underfoot; a complex or hazardous situation
87	Quixotic	Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
88	Querulous	Complaining in a petulant or whining manner
89	Quintessential	Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class
90	Quiescent	In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy
91	Recalcitrant	Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline
92	Recondite	(Of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse
93	Reprobate	An unprincipled person; someone who is morally depraved
94	Redolent	Strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something; fragrant or sweet-smelling
95	Rancorous	Characterized by bitterness or resentment
96	Sagacious	Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; wise or shrewd
97	Salubrious	Health-giving; healthy
98	Soporific	Tending to induce drowsiness or sleep
99	Sycophant	A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage
100	Specious	Superficially plausible, but actually wrong; misleading in appearance
101	Taciturn	Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little
102	Tantamount	Equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as
103	Truculent	Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant
104	Tenebrous	Dark; shadowy or obscure
105	Turbid	(Of a liquid) cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter

Life is tons of discipline. Your first discipline is your vocabulary; then your grammar and your punctuation - Robert Frost

Difficult Words in English U-Z (Bonus 4)

#	Hard Word	Meaning
105	Ubiquitous	Present, appearing, or found everywhere
106	Unctuous	Excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily
107	Untenable	Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
108	Usurp	To take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force
109	Unilateral	Performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of others
110	Vacillate	To alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive
111	Vapid	Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland
112	Variegated	Exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks
113	Vehement	Showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense
114	Vestige	A trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists
115	Wistful	Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing
116	Winsome	Attractive or appealing in appearance or character
117	Welter	A large number of items in no order; a confused mass
118	Wrathful	Full of or characterized by intense anger
119	Wheedle	To use flattery or coaxing in order to persuade someone to do something or give one something
120	Xenophobic	Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries
121	Xeric	Relating to or requiring only a small amount of moisture
122	Xanthic	Relating to a yellow or yellowish color
123	Xylograph	An engraving on wood
124	Xerophyte	A plant adapted to an environment with little water
125	Yen	A longing or yearning; a desire
126	Yoke	To join together; to harness or connect
127	Yielding	Inclined to give way to pressure, persuasion, or influence
128	Yearn	To have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from
129	Yonder	At some distance in the direction indicated; over there
130	Zealous	Having or showing zeal; passionate or fervent
131	Zenith	The highest point reached by a celestial or other object; peak
132	Zephyr	A gentle, mild breeze
133	Zany	Amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic
134	Zoomorphic	Having or representing animal forms or gods of animal form

Want to practice and improve your English skills?

Install the Examize App right in your Google Workspace™, to get access to new ways to create unique quizzes. You can create vocabulary quizzes from different books or articles you read. This will help you prepare for any test or create quizzes to challenge yourself or a student. You can even take the words you learned here and create multiple choice questions to really test your exam skills.

Frequently Asked Questions on Hard Words?

1. List 10 difficult words to spell

• Accommodate
• Connoisseur
• Eccentricity
• Floccinaucinihilipilification
• Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
• Incomprehensible
• Juxtaposition
• Mnemonics
• Onomatopoeia
• Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism

2. Do all words have vowels?

No, not all words have vowels. While most words in English and many other languages include vowels, there are some words that do not contain any traditional vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Example: Rhythm, Myth, Cry, Gyms, Fly

2. How can I effectively learn and remember hard vocabulary words?

Effective strategies include using the words in sentences, creating flashcards, practicing with quizzes, and reading extensively in various genres. Associating words with images or stories can also aid in retention.