Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 186 of 545 · The stress trap
How to pronounce difficult
/ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ British English
DIF·i·kəlt
3 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the first one.
✗ Many people say
dif·FI·cult
✓ Say
DIF·i·kəlt
My tip
Stress the start: DIF-i-kəlt.
In a sentence
This puzzle book is difficult.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: DIF-i-kəlt.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce difficult?
In British English, difficult is pronounced /ˈdɪfɪkəlt/. Say it like this: DIF-i-kəlt. Stress the start: DIF-i-kəlt.
How many syllables are in difficult?
When you say it, difficult has 3 syllables: DIF-i-kəlt. The strong beat is the first one, DIF.
More words like this: the stress trap
Practise these sounds
- The schwa, /ə/The small, weak sound in this word. It’s one of the 4 sounds you can practise completely free in my Sound Atlas.
- The strong beat: /ɪ/ as in “ship”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Word stress setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
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