Input needed. What is the most difficult Spanish word for native English speakers to learn to pronounce?

Question

What is the hardest word to pronounce that you know of in Spanish? Please include names and proper names, as they can be a challenge. One of my learning strategies is to learn the most difficult words as I encounter them. Thanks to all who answer.

• And pronouncing them slowly. - BellaMargari Oct 25, 2009
• refrigerador is still the hardest for me to say - luke_a_young Mar 4, 2010
• Hehe;easier to say "refri" but does not preclude the need to get it right!, - pacofinkler Jan 18, 2011

Answer 1

I found "alrededor" tricky in the early days.

• That one still gets me! - Yeser007 Jan 10, 2011
• I used to consistently spell that one wrong. I would always add an extra 'd' between the 'l' and the 'r.' - Izanoni1 Jan 18, 2011

Answer 2

One that was always hard for me to say was "anaranjada" (orange the color). Basically, all the rules of pronunciation are learned in the first year of Spanish. There aren't any words that really ignore the rules. My suggestion is to find text, and even if you don't understand what it says, read it out loud to yourself. Don't focus on comprehension, simply practice reading out loud and you will be amazed at how fast it becomes easy to pronounce.

• That is a tough one and I didn't know until now that the color orange was a different word from 'naranja' Thanks for the enlightenment. - Yeser007 Oct 25, 2009
• It was a long time for me too! - luhzon89 Oct 25, 2009
• I've had native speakers (in yucatán) insist that "naranja" was the color as well.... :S - Valerie Nov 2, 2009
• Hahaha, well Valerie that's because it's naranja or anaranjado for the color orange, both are ok, but only naranja for the fruit :D - InésDelRío Nov 3, 2009

Answer 3

I think that certain trilled r sounds or d sounds followed by an r sound such as in cocodrilo and ferrocarril or ferrocarrilero

• "cocodrilo" = signgle-tap "r"; "ferrocarril="two instances of multi-tap" "r"; So what's the problem? - samdie Nov 2, 2009
• Samdie, the "rr" sound is not a multi-tap at all. Tap consonants involve the voluntary contraction of a muscle, typically the tongue, while in the thrill it is the air that makes the tongue move. - lazarus1907 Jan 18, 2011
• For that reason, pronouncing a trilled R after a tap one is actually complicated. - lazarus1907 Jan 18, 2011

Answer 4

For me it is words that have the 'ñ' followed by 'ue' or 'ía' (accent on 'i'), as in pequeñuelo and compañía. I know the rules for pronunciation, but getting my tongue to cooperate is a different story!

Answer 5

I break up difficult words like "estado-uni-dense" or "cuidad-osa-mente" and write it down 20 times on a piece of paper, saying it aloud at the same time. I don't give up until I can say it correctly.

• That's especially helpful if you are a visual learner. - DonK Jan 10, 2011

Answer 6

No sé por qué, pero aunque....was the most difficult word for me in the beginning.

Answer 7

indeed i found a couple of words harder to say: Hipopotomonstrosesquipedaliofobia (people who are afraid of complicated words) Parangaricutirimicuaro (a town's name) TRISCAIDECAFÍLICO (people who beilive #13 is a lucky number) supercalifragilisticoespialidoso (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, from the movie song of Mary Poppins) hormitorrinconarringologia Esternocleidomastoideo Alfaglutamiltranspeptidasa Dehidroepiandostenodiona Rinofibrolaringoscopia

• There is some kind of tongue twister about parangaricutirimicuaro... wish I could remember the rest of it! :) - Valerie Nov 2, 2009
• "El pueblo de Parangaricutirimícuaro se va a desparangaricutirimicuarizar. Quien logre desparangaricutirimicuarizarlo gran desparangaricutirimicuarizador será." - InésDelRío Nov 3, 2009
• I have never been able to say this tongue twister real fast and not failing, and I'm a native :P - InésDelRío Nov 3, 2009

Answer 8

Afianzamiento. Try that one lol.

Answer 9

"libro aburrido" is hard for me.

Answer 10

Estacionamiento and cerrar give me trouble, but I speak with a typical Spanish accent (yes, including the lisp) and this makes these more difficult to pronounce.

• Typical Spanish speakers do not lisp (any more than typical English speakers). - samdie Nov 2, 2009
• I think the lisp where "c" is pronounced "th" is common in peninsular spanish, and very uncommon in Latin American spanish. - luhzon89 Jan 18, 2011

Answer 11

In the beginning, 'estadounidense' was the hardest for me. I noticed throughout the years, that many students have a hard time with the word, 'reloj'.

• I still can not pronounce that word. - mimirodrigue Oct 25, 2009
• I had a real hard time wrapping my tounge around that one until I realized it was spelled wrong (the 3rd D). - Yeser007 Oct 25, 2009
• And 'reloj" is a tough one for me. - Yeser007 Oct 25, 2009
• Reloj was really hard for me and it still is. - Zrowny Nov 2, 2009

Answer 12

I don't have any problems with pronouncing the words separately, but I sometimes find it hard to e.g. read a phrase where the amoung of "lisps" (th), "j" sounds and the "b/v" (as there is no such sound in Polish or English) is bigger

Answer 13

Anything with the "j" sound. I simply don't understand how that sound is made - or at least, made gracefully! I always seem to sound as though I am choking on my lunch when I try.

• jejeje :) - sunshinzmomm Oct 25, 2009
• lol :D - Issabela Oct 25, 2009

Answer 14

Ay, probad leer ésto con el acento castellano: "Es ceviche de camarón."

• Me encanta el emoticono que pusiste!!! - Rey_Mysterio Nov 2, 2009

Answer 15

How about Rodríguez and el refrigerador? Those "R" vowel blends and rolling "R's" just tie up my tongue. Oh yes, how about "tortillería?