“Mooseless. Ferina. Tai kon.” If you’re confused by these words, it’s probably because they’re not quite words. Instead, they’re sounds heard by people for whom English is not their first language. “Muscles. Foreigner. Chicken” are what they were attempting to repeat, but due to the English language being notoriously difficult, they just couldn’t quite pronounce them. In a recent viral TikTok, @alanthedude asked people from different countries worldwide, “What is the hardest English word for you to pronounce?” Answers coming from French, Austrian, Polish, and other nationalities were understandably stumped at times. It’s no secret English doesn’t always follow the same rules as other languages. @alanthedude #learnontiktok #learnenglish #streetinterviews #language #culture ♬ original sound – alanthedude The post has received nearly two million likes and over 11,000 comments. Even English speakers are often bewildered by the language. One writes, “As an English speaker, I cannot say rural.” Another shares the confusing nature of certain words being so close in spelling, yet having such different meanings and pronunciations. “Thought, though, tough, through, thorough, throughout.” Cristina Miguelez, the Digital PR Manager and Specialist for online tutoring program Preply, shares some of the most common words in English that non-natives have a tough time pronouncing. Many, some will find, aren’t so easy to pronounce for English speakers either. Worcestershire This one throws out most of the rules for vowels in particular. Miguelez shares, “Often considered the ultimate pronunciation nightmare, ‘Worcestershire’ completely ignores how it looks on paper. Most learners try to pronounce every syllable, but native speakers usually shorten it to something closer to ‘WUSS-ter-sheer.’ The silent letters and compressed sounds make it incredibly difficult for anyone learning English phonetically.” Entrepreneur This word, “borrowed from the French language,” can confuse some due to syllable emphasis. “‘Entrepreneur’ contains vowel sounds and pronunciation rules that do not naturally exist in many other languages. The ending alone confuses, with many speakers unsure whether to pronounce the ‘r,’ the ‘eu,’ or both. In English, it’s pronounced ‘on-truh-pruh-NUR,’ with the final syllable carrying the strongest emphasis.” Rural As mentioned, this word was discussed in the TikTok comment section and can be difficult even for people whose first language is English. “‘Rural’ contains back-to-back ‘r’ sounds that are particularly hard for speakers whose native language doesn’t heavily use the English ‘r,’” Miguelez explains. “Even native English speakers sometimes struggle to say it clearly at speed. Most people pronounce it something like ‘ROOR-uhl,’ although saying it quickly can easily make the sounds blur together.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Please Please… Don’t Quiz Me! (@pleasedontquiz) Colonel This word, as Miguelez describes, looks “nothing like it sounds.” She adds, “One of the least phonetic words in the English language, ‘colonel’ is pronounced ‘kernel.’ The disconnect between spelling and pronunciation makes it incredibly confusing for learners. Although the spelling suggests otherwise, it’s actually said as ‘KUR-nuhl.’” Squirrel Miguelez notes that she has found this word to be especially difficult for certain nationalities. “‘Squirrel’ combines awkward consonant clusters with the difficult English ‘r’ sound, making it one of the most commonly mentioned words by language learners worldwide. German, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese speakers frequently cite it as especially difficult. In most accents, it sounds roughly like ‘SKWIR-uhl,’ with the middle ‘r’ sound making it tricky to say smoothly.” Also on Miguelez’s list were “February,” “coup,” “brewery,” “hyperbole,” and “phenomenon.” Whether it was the seemingly random placements of consonants or vowels, these words often trip up even the most fluent English speakers. The post People around the world reveal the English language words that are near impossible to pronounce appeared first on Upworthy.