Spanish speakers face unique challenges when learning English pronunciation and spelling. Certain words prove especially tricky because of how Spanish and English sound systems differ.

Many learners get stuck on these same difficult terms, but there’s a clear path forward.

This blog post presents hard English words for Spanish speakers that commonly cause confusion, along with practical tips to master each one.

Readers will learn why these words are challenging and get specific strategies to pronounce and remember them correctly.

Why English Pronunciation is Tough for Spaniards?

Spanish and English use completely different sound systems, creating major challenges for learners. The phonetic differences between these languages make certain words particularly difficult to pronounce correctly.

Spanish doesn’t distinguish between short and long vowel sounds like English does. This creates confusion with word pairs that sound identical to Spanish ears:

• “Ship” and “sheep” – length difference goes unnoticed
• “Bit” and “beat” – same vowel sound to them
• “Pull” and “pool” – short vs. long confusion
• “Not” and “note” – positioning problems

Spanish treats “b” and “v” as nearly identical sounds, while English makes a clear distinction. This explains why many write “berry” instead of “very.”

These fundamental differences make hard English words for Spanish speakers require focused practice to master properly.

Hard English Words for Spanish Speakers to Learn

English pronunciation often poses challenges for Spanish speakers, especially when spelling offers little guidance on pronunciation.

Familiar letter combinations can function quite differently in English, leading to confusion with hard English words for Spanish speakers.

1. Though

• Meaning: Used to introduce a contrast or exception in a sentence
• Typical mispronunciation: Often pronounced as “thoff” or “tough”
• Tricky phonetics: The “gh” is silent, and the “ou” creates a long “o” as in “go”
• Learning strategy: Practice saying it in contrastive sentences like “I didn’t want to go. I went though” to absorb the sound and usage together.

2. Chaos

• Meaning: A condition of complete confusion or disorder
• Typical mispronunciation: Mispronounced as “chay-os” or “shah-os”
• Tricky phonetics: The “ch” produces a hard “k” sound, making it “kay-oss”
• Learning strategy: Practice saying it with similar “ch” words like “chorus” and “chemist.” Say it in emotional contexts like “It was pure chaos” to connect sound and meaning.

3. Island

• Meaning: A piece of land completely surrounded by water
• Typical mispronunciation: Spoken as “is-land” with a voiced “s”
• Tricky phonetics: The “s” is silent, and it sounds like “eye-land”
• Learning strategy: Pair it with images of islands while repeating the word. Cover the “s” when writing to visualize the silent letter.

4. Squirrel

• Meaning: A small rodent known for climbing trees and storing nuts
• Typical mispronunciation: Often pronounced as “eskirrel” or “squarrel”
• Tricky phonetics: The blend of “squ” followed by “rl” is tough to say fluently
• Learning strategy: Break it into “squuh” and “rel” and repeat slowly. Watching videos of squirrels and narrating what they do can make practice fun and memorable.

5. Clothes

• Meaning: Garments or apparel worn on the body
• Typical mispronunciation: Mispronounced as “cloth-es” or “closs”
• Tricky phonetics: The “th” merges with “s,” forming a soft, blended sound
• Learning strategy: Use it in common phrases like “wear clothes” or “change clothes.” Practice by mimicking native speakers and blending the sounds smoothly.

6. Comfortable

• Meaning: Providing ease, rest, or relaxation
• Typical mispronunciation: Fully pronounced as “com-for-ta-ble”
• Tricky phonetics: Commonly shortened in natural speech to “cumf-tuh-bl”
• Learning strategy: Imitate native speakers by repeating short phrases like “feel comfortable.” Reduce syllables gradually while maintaining clarity.

7. Thorough

• Meaning: Complete or done with great attention to detail
• Typical mispronunciation: Often said as “thor-uh” or confused with “through”
• Tricky phonetics: The “ough” sounds like a long “o,” and “gh” is silent
• Learning strategy: Practice with phrases like “a thorough check.” Say it slowly and stretch the vowel to reinforce the correct form.

8. Choir

• Meaning: A group of singers, usually performing together
• Typical mispronunciation: Commonly spoken as “choy-er”
• Tricky phonetics: Despite its spelling, it is pronounced like “quire”
• Learning strategy: Associate it with musical settings. Say it aloud with terms like “church choir” or “school choir” to build familiarity.

9. Thought

• Meaning: A mental idea, reflection, or consideration
• Typical mispronunciation: Mistaken for “taught” or “though”
• Tricky phonetics: The “ough” sounds like “aw,” ending with a soft “t”
• Learning strategy: Pair it with rhyming words like “fought” and “sought.” Use reflection phrases such as “deep thought” to integrate meaning and sound.

10. Subtle

• Meaning: Not obvious or easily noticeable
• Typical mispronunciation: Spoken with a “b” as in “sub-tle”
• Tricky phonetics: The “b” is silent, and stress falls on the first syllable
• Learning strategy: Whisper the word while thinking of something delicate. Pair it with phrases like “subtle hint” to hear it in real use.

11. Colonel

• Meaning: A high-ranking officer in the military
• Typical mispronunciation: Read as “kor-o-nel” based on spelling
• Tricky phonetics: Pronounced as “kernel,” a major deviation from its written form
• Learning strategy: Listen to military documentaries or practice military ranks aloud to remember it by sound rather than spelling.

12. Recipe

• Meaning: A set of instructions for cooking a dish
• Typical mispronunciation: Often said as “reh-sipe”
• Tricky phonetics: The last syllable is “pee,” not “pipe.”
• Learning strategy: Use the word in context, such as “family recipe.” Watch cooking shows to see and hear the word used naturally.

13. Debt

• Meaning: Money that is owed or due
• Typical mispronunciation: The “b” is often pronounced, making it “debt”
• Tricky phonetics: The “b” is silent; the word sounds like “det”
• Learning strategy: Practice financial terms like “debt-free” and “student debt.” Match it with other silent “b” words like “doubt”.

14. Friend

• Meaning: A trusted companion or someone one shares a bond with
• Typical mispronunciation: Sometimes said with a long “i,” as “freend”
• Tricky phonetics: The “ie” sounds like a short “e,” making it “frend”
• Learning strategy: Repeat phrases like “my best friend” in speech drills. Listening to friendship-themed songs helps reinforce the vowel sound.

15. Iron

• Meaning: A metal or an appliance used for pressing clothes
• Typical mispronunciation: Commonly said as “ee-ron” or “i-run”
• Tricky phonetics: Should be pronounced “eye-urn,” with a flipped vowel pattern
• Learning strategy: Say the word in everyday phrases like “iron your clothes.” Compare it to “lion” to fix the vowel sequence.

16. Answer

• Meaning: A reply or response to a question
• Typical mispronunciation: The “w” is voiced as in “an-swer”
• Tricky phonetics: The “w” is silent, and it’s said as “an-sir”
• Learning strategy: Use it in full sentences like “I know the answer.” Repeat it with “question” to link related words.

Additional Tricky English Words to Tackle

While the initial set of words introduces the most common pitfalls, there are many more hard English words for Spanish speakers that continue to challenge learners on their language quest.

17. Vehicle

• Meaning: A machine used for transporting people or goods
• Typical mispronunciation: Often spoken as “veh-hee-kul”
• Tricky phonetics: The “h” is soft, and the emphasis is on the first syllable
• Learning strategy: Practice saying “vee-hickle” in context like “drive the vehicle.” Use transportation vocabulary to reinforce it.

18. Hour

• Meaning: A time unit equal to sixty minutes
• Typical mispronunciation: Pronounced with a strong “h” as in “how-er”
• Tricky phonetics: The “h” is silent, and the word sounds like “our”
• Learning strategy: Practice it in time phrases like “every hour” or “half an hour.” Compare it to “our” for sound alignment.

19. Queue

• Meaning: A line or list of items or people waiting for service
• Typical mispronunciation: Said as “kway” or each letter spelled out
• Tricky phonetics: The word is pronounced “cue”
• Learning strategy: Say it with context like “movie queue” or “wait in a queue.” Repetition in tech-related settings helps reinforce usage.

20. Business

• Meaning: Work related to commerce or professional dealings
• Typical mispronunciation: Enunciated fully as “biz-i-ness”
• Tricky phonetics: The middle vowel is usually dropped, making it “biz-ness”
• Learning strategy: Practice it with phrases like “start a business” or “business owner.” Speed and fluidity in saying it help mimic native speech.

21. Sword

• Meaning: A long-bladed weapon used historically for combat
• Typical mispronunciation: Spoken with a “w” as in “swor-d”
• Tricky phonetics: The “w” is silent, and it’s pronounced “sord”
• Learning strategy: Pair it with visual cues from fantasy stories. Repeat phrases like “a knight’s sword” to build pronunciation through context.

22. Wednesday

• Meaning: The third day of a typical workweek
• Typical mispronunciation: Pronounced literally as “Wed-nes-day”
• Tricky phonetics: Sounds like “Wens-day” with a silent “d”
• Learning strategy: Repeat it in planning phrases like “Meeting on Wednesday.” Speed drills help reinforce the compressed syllables.

23. Vegetable

• Meaning: An edible plant part used in cooking
• Typical mispronunciation: Spoken with every syllable, like “veg-e-ta-ble”
• Tricky phonetics: Shortened to “vej-tuh-bl” in natural conversation
• Learning strategy: Practice with meal phrases like “vegetable soup” or “green vegetables.” Focus on reducing syllables while keeping clarity.

24. Receipt

• Meaning: A written or digital record of payment
• Typical mispronunciation: Often said as “re-seep-t”
• Tricky phonetics: The “p” is silent, pronounced as “re-seet”
• Learning strategy: Use it in everyday phrases like “keep the receipt.” Compare it to “recipe” to understand the difference.

25. Bury

• Meaning: To place something under the ground
• Typical mispronunciation: Voiced like “berry” or “bur-ee”
• Tricky phonetics: Pronounced like “beh-ree”
• Learning strategy: Say it in short sentences like “bury the treasure.” Rhyming it with “hurry” helps form the correct habit.

26. Women

• Meaning: The plural form of “woman”
• Typical mispronunciation: Spoken with a long “o,” like “wo-men”
• Tricky phonetics: Pronounced “wim-in,” rhyming with “limit”
• Learning strategy: Contrast “woman” and “women” in practice sentences. Visual flashcards of both words can also aid retention.

27. Height

• Meaning: The measurement of vertical distance
• Typical mispronunciation: Ends with “th” or sounds like “heeth”
• Tricky phonetics: The ending is a hard “t” and it rhymes with “light”
• Learning strategy: Compare it to “weight” and “might.” Practice it with measurement questions like “What is your height?”

28. Honest

• Meaning: Truthful, sincere, and free from deceit
• Typical mispronunciation: “H” is pronounced, resulting in “h-onest”
• Tricky phonetics: The “h” is silent, and it sounds like “onest”
• Learning strategy: Practice in full phrases like “to be honest.” Comparing it with “honor” helps reinforce the silent “h” rule.

29. Almond

• Meaning: A type of edible nut
• Typical mispronunciation: The “l” is pronounced as in “ahl-mond”
• Tricky phonetics: The “l” is silent in most English dialects, making it “ah-mund”
• Learning strategy: Practice it in food combinations like “almond butter” or “almond milk” to hear it in use.

30. Yolk

• Meaning: The yellow center of an egg
• Typical mispronunciation: The “l” is spoken as “yo-lk”
• Tricky phonetics: The “l” is silent, pronounced “yoke”
• Learning strategy: Practice saying “egg yolk” aloud. Watch cooking tutorials where the word is frequently used.

31. Climb

• Meaning: To move upward, often using feet or hands
• Typical mispronunciation: The “b” is voiced, said as “climb-b”
• Tricky phonetics: The “b” is silent, and it sounds like “clime”
• Learning strategy: Use it in action phrases like “climb the stairs.” Pair with “limb” and “crumb” to see other silent “b” patterns.

Common Mistakes Made by Spanish Speakers

Spanish speakers often make certain mistakes when learning English. Here are some common ones:

1. Overgeneralizing Rules

In Spanish, words often follow certain patterns, but English doesn’t always follow the same rules. For example, Spanish speakers might say “espechial” instead of “special.”

Tip: Pay attention to exceptions and the correct spelling of words.

2. Mixing Up “V” and “B” Sounds

In Spanish, “v” and “b” sound similar, but in English, they are different. Spanish speakers may say “base” instead of “vase.”

Tip: Practice saying words with “v” and “b” clearly.

3. Misplacing Word Stress

Spanish speakers might place stress on the wrong syllable in English words. For example, “record” may be pronounced “re-cord” instead of “re-cord.”

Tip: Learn which syllable to stress in English words.

4. False Cognates

Some English words look like Spanish words but have different meanings. For example, “actual” means “real” in English, but “current” in Spanish.

Tip: Always check the meaning of words in a dictionary.

5. Direct Translations

Translating sentences word-for-word from Spanish to English can sound unnatural. For instance, “I have 20 years” should be “I am 20 years old” in English.

Tip: Think in English, not Spanish, to sound more natural.

The Bottom Line

Mastering English pronunciation requires time and consistent effort for Spanish speakers. This blog post covered challenging words and practical strategies to overcome common pronunciation barriers.

Understanding why hard English words for Spanish speakers create difficulties helps learners improve faster. Regular practice with these techniques leads to clearer communication and greater confidence.

Spanish speakers should learn a few words daily and focus on phonetic patterns. Small steps lead to fluent pronunciation.