You are explaining the important aspects of a project to your senior manager, when the word 'Deterioration' comes up. You say the word, but the manager tries to clarify again and again leading to embarrassing situations. You wish you could spell the word correctly and avoid such situations. Different accents around the world make it impossible to have one correct pronunciation of a particular word. However, you should make sure that your pronunciation makes it easier for the listener to understand the word at the first instance itself.

One of the easiest ways to pronounce a difficult word is to break it down. Breaking it down makes is possible for you to pronounce it clearly and without any mistakes. It also negates the effect of accent while pronouncing.

In case you are not able to pronounce it in spite of breaking the word, you can try speaking the meaning or synonym of the word. This will save you and the listener a lot of time and effort. Below are 10 difficult words that are tough to pronounce.

10 Difficult Words

1. Thistle

In the example, the't' will remain silent. It will be pronounced as 'thi-sel'. It is a kind of weed which grows surrounding the plants.

Example: Make sure that you don't step on the thistle.

2. Deteriorate

The breakdown of this word will be as follows: de·te·ri·o·rate. This word means that a situation is worsening.

Example: It is difficult to see a friend's health deteriorate.

3. Onomatopoeia

The breakdown will be as follows: on·o·mat·o·poe·ia. It means words which sound like their synonyms.

4. Catastrophic

Pronounced as 'cat·a·stroph·ic'. It means a disaster.

Example: A catastrophic typhoon struck Hyderabad.

5. Miscellaneous

One of the toughest words to pronounce is mis·cel·la·ne·ous. It means everything which is not categorized.

Example: This menu has a very  small miscellaneous list.

6. Tremendous

It is pronounced as Tre+men+dous. It means great or very large.

Example: It was a tremendous achievement for him.

7. Remuneration

The pronunciation of this word is as follows: re·mu·ner·a·tion. The 'ne' in mune is separately pronounced. It means salary or compensation.

Example: Your monthly remuneration will be Rs.30, 000.

8. Entrepreneurship

The breakup of this word is: entre·pre·neurship. The 'Ent' is pronounced as 'Aunt'. It means having a self employment spirit.

Example: Entrepreneurship is the need for today's management students.

9. Refrigerator

The simple word to be used is a fridge, but in case you need to use this word, the break up is re·frig·er·a·tor.

Example: The refrigerator is not working properly.

10. Anesthetist

This word is broken up into: a·naes·the·tist. A person specially trained to administer anesthesia

Example: The anesthetist gave him an injection before surgery.

The above examples will help you as a guideline on how to pronounce difficult words. Pronouncing hard words showcase your sophistication and total command of English. You can improve your English vocabulary skills by reading and practicing with an online English tutor. Strong English skills will also help you to frame good sentences while writing and speaking.

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- By Monika Agarwal

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