100 HARDEST English words pronunciation practice lesson | Learn British English + (Free PDF & Quiz!)

(electronic music)

- Hello everyone, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

Today, I've got my biggest pronunciation video yet.

It's been a long time in the making.

This video is going to show you 100 words

that are difficult to pronounce,

the definitions of the words,

and also how to pronounce them in British English.

We're going along with the pronunciation advice

from the Oxford Learner's Dictionary,

the link of which I will put in the description box.

This video is going to be fabulous for your pronunciation,

for your relaxation because I feel like a lot of people

come to my videos just to have someone talking

in a soft voice in the background,

but it's also going to be great for your listening,

because if you know how to pronounce certain words,

then you will be able to understand them

when people say them to you.

I'm also going to share the definition with you as well

so you'll be able to improve your vocabulary.

So by the end of this video,

you should be able to understand 100 words,

use 100 advanced words in your vocabulary,

and also pronounce 100 words perfectly.

Before we get started, I'd just like to remind you

that if you want to improve your listening and pronunciation

even further, I really, really recommend Audible.

Reading is great for improving vocabulary,

but if you actually hear the words in your ear

and read them as you go along,

oh, it works wonders on your brain.

It works wonders on your language skills.

Audible are offering one free audio book

as a 30-day free trial.

All you have to do is click on the link

in the description box and sign up.

I pay for Audible myself.

I use it all the time and especially when I'm running

and I adore it.

Right, let's get started with the video.

One, albeit.

Albeit.

Meaning although.

Two, almond.

Almond.

The flat pale sweet nut of the almond tree

used in cooking and to make almond oil.

Three, anemone.

Anemone.

A small plant with red, white, blue, or purple flowers

that are shaped like cups and have dark centres.

Four, antarctic.

Antarctic.

Connected with the regions of the world

surrounding the South Pole.

Five, archipelago.

Archipelago.

A group of islands and the sea surrounding them.

Six, arctic.

Arctic.

Related to or happening in

the regions around the North Pole.

Seven, asterisk.

Asterisk.

To mark something with the little star symbol.

Eight, athlete.

Athlete.

A person who competes in sports.

Nine, bouquet.

Bouquet.

A bunch of flowers arranged in an attractive way.

Number 10, brewery.

Brewery.

A factory where beer is made,

or a company that makes beer.

Number 11, buoy.

Buoy.

An object which floats on water

to mark where it is safe for boats to go.

12, bury.

Bury.

To hide something in the ground.

13, cache.

Cache.

A part of computer's memory that stores copies of data

that is often needed whilst a programme is running.

14, candidate.

Candidate.

A person who is trying to be elected

or is applying for a job.

15, caramel.

Caramel.

Burnt sugar used for adding colour or flavour to food.

16, chaos.

Chaos.

A state of complete confusion and lack of order.

17, chauvinism.

Chauvinism.

An aggressive and unreasonable belief

that your country is better than all others.

18, clothes.

Clothes.

The things that you wear, such as trousers, shirts,

and shorts.

19, cocoa.

Cocoa.

A dark-brown powder made from the crushed seeds,

cocoa beans, of a tropical tree.

20, comfortable.

Comfortable.

Feeling relaxed in a pleasant way.

21, coup.

Coup.

A sudden change of government that is is illegal

and often violent.

22, debris.

Debris.

Pieces of material that are left somewhere

and are not wanted.

23, debut.

Debut.

The first public appearance of a performer

or sports player.

24, decrepit.

Decrepit.

Very old and not in good condition or health.

25, defibrillator.

Defibrillator.

A piece of equipment used to control the movements

of the heart muscles by giving the heart

a controlled electric shock.

26, dengue.

Dengue.

A disease caused by a virus carried by mosquitoes.

27, deteriorate.

Deteriorate.

To become worse.

28, dilate.

Dilate.

To become or to make something larger, wider, or more open.

29, elite.

Elite.

Of a group of people in a society,

small in number but powerful and with a lot of influence,

because they're rich or intelligent, etc.

30, epitome.

Epitome.

A perfect example of something.

31, espresso.

Espresso.

A strong black coffee made by forcing steam or boiling water

through ground coffee beans.

32, et cetera.

Et cetera.

Used after a list to show that there are other things

that you could have mentioned.

33, faux pas.

Faux pas.

An action or remark that causes embarrassment

because it's not socially correct.

34, February.

February.

The second month of the year, between January and March.

35, film.

Film.

A series of moving pictures.

36, fiscal.

Fiscal.

Connect with government or public money, especially taxes.

37, foliage.

Foliage.

The leaves of a tree or a plant.

38, foyer.

Foyer.

A large open space inside the entrance of a theatre or hotel

where people can meet or wait.

39, genre.

Genre.

A particular type of style of film, art, music,

or literature you recognise because of its special features.

40, GIF.

GIF.

The abbreviation for Graphic Interchange Format.

41, gauge.

Gauge.

An instrument for measuring the amount or level

of something.

42, heinous.

Heinous.

Morally very bad.

43, heir.

Heir.

A person who has the legal right to receive someone's money,

property, or title when that person dies.

44, herb.

Herb.

A plant whose leaves, flowers, or seeds

are used to flavour food, in medicines,

or for their pleasant smell.

45, hierarchy.

Hierarchy.

A system, especially in a society or organisation,

in which people are organised into different levels

of importance, from highest to lowest.

46, hyperbole.

Hyperbole.

A way of writing or speaking

that makes something sound better, more exciting,

more dangerous, etc. than it really is.

47, infamous.

Infamous.

Well-known for being bad or evil.

28, ingenuity.

Ingenuity.

The ability to invent things or solve problems

in clever new ways.

49, interpret.

Interpret.

To explain the meaning of something.

50, itinerary.

Itinerary.

A plan of a journey,

including the route and the places that you visit.

51, jewellery.

Jewellery.

Objects such as rings and necklaces that people wear

as decoration.

52, liable.

Liable.

Legally responsible for paying the cost.

53, library.

Library.

A building in which books, CDs, newspapers, etc.

are kept for people to read, study, or borrow.

54, lingerie.

Lingerie.

Women's underwear.

Note that it's very common to pronounce this as lingerie.

55, mauve.

Mauve.

A pale purple colour.

56, mediaeval.

Mediaeval.

Connected with the Middle Ages.

57, meme.

Meme.

An image, video, etc. that is quickly passed

from one internet user to another,

often with slight changes that make it humorous.

58, miniature.

Miniature.

Very small, or much smaller than usual.

59, mischievous.

Mischievous.

Enjoying playing tricks or annoying people.

60, monk.

Monk.

A member of a religious group of men

who live apart from each other in a monastery

and who do not marry or have personal belongings.

61, moot.

Moot.

Unlikely to happen and therefore not worth considering.

62, niche.

Niche.

A comfortable or suitable job, role, way of life, etc.

63, nuclear.

Nuclear.

Using, producing, or resulting from nuclear energy.

64, onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia.

The fact of words containing sounds

similar to the noises they describe.

65, ordinance.

Ordinance.

An order or a rule made by a government

or a person in a position of authority.

66, paradigm.

Paradigm.

A typical example of pattern of something.

67, phenomenon.

Phenomenon.

A fact or an event in nature or society,

especially one that is not fully understood.

68, picture.

Picture.

A painting, a drawing, etc.

that shows a person, scene, or thing.

69, pizza.

Pizza.

An Italian dish consisting of a round flat bread base

with cheese, tomatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. on top.

70, plumber.

Plumber.

A person whose job it is to fix and repair things

such as toilets and water pipes.

71, prelude.

Prelude.

A short piece of music,

especially an introduction to a longer piece.

72, prerogative.

Prerogative.

A right or an advantage belonging to a particular person

or group because of their importance or social position.

73, prescription.

Prescription.

An official piece of paper on which a doctor writes

which medicine you should have and which enables you

to get it from a chemist or drugstore.

74, probably.

Probably.

Used to say that something is likely to happen

or to be true.

75, pronunciation.

Pronunciation.

The way in which a language or a particular word

or sound is pronounced.

76, prostrate.

Prostrate.

Lying on the ground and facing downwards.

77, pseudonym.

Pseudonym.

A name used by somebody, especially a writer,

instead of their real name.

78, quay.

Quay.

A platform in a harbour where boats come in to load.

79, queue.

Queue.

A line of people, cars, etc. waiting for something

or to do something.

80, quinoa.

Quinoa.

A South American plant grown for its seeds.

81, raspberry.

Raspberry.

A small dark-red soft fruit grown on bushes.

82, regime.

Regime.

A method or system of managing or organising something.

83, rendezvous.

Rendezvous.

An arrangement to meet someone

at a particular place and time.

84, rural.

Rural.

Connected with or like the countryside.

85, salmon

salmon.

A large fish with silver skin and pink flesh

that is used for food.

86, schedule.

Schedule.

A plan that lists all the work that you need to do

and when you need to do each thing.

87, silicon.

Silicon.

A chemical element which exists as a brown powder

or a grey solid that is found is rocks and sand.

88, sixth.

Sixth.

Ordinal number, number six.

Note most people just say "sixth."

89, specific.

Specific.

Detailed and exact.

90, specifiable.

Specifiable.

Something that can be stated,

especially by giving an exact measurement,

time, date, weight, etc.

91, status.

Status.

The situation at a particular time during a process.

92, subtle.

Subtle.

Not very noticeable or obvious.

93, suite.

Suite.

A set of rooms, especially in a hotel.

94, temperature.

Temperature.

The measurement in degrees of how cold or hot

a place or thing is.

95, ticklish.

Ticklish.

Sensitive to being tickled.

96, triathlon.

Triathlon.

A sporting event in which people compete

in three different sports,

usually swimming, cycling, and running.

97, valet.

Valet.

A man who is employed for cleaning, pressing,

laundering, etc. for patrons of a hotel.

98, vehicle.

Vehicle.

A thing that is used for transporting people or goods

from one place to another, such as a car or lorry.

99, wintry.

Wintry.

Typical of winter or cold.

100, yolk.

Yolk.

The round yellow part in the middle of an egg.

Right, guys.

That is it for today's pronunciation videos.

Leave your feedback.

Feel free to add any more words

that you find difficult to pronounce.

Don't forget to check out audible.com.

The link for the free audio book

with the 30-day free trial is in the description box.

Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.

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and I've got my Twitter.

And I will see you soon for another lesson.

Muah!

(electronic music)