5 Most Difficult Languages To Learn In The World

We have ranked the 5 most difficult languages to learn generated by some polls on the internet.

The list accumulated in our article is based on a structured scoring system, in which we assigned aggregated scores to each language based on its ranking on any or each of these five sources we studied. The most difficult languages to learn are listed in order of lowest of these aggregated scores.

5 Most Difficult Languages To Learn In The World

5. Spanish
Score: 0.53

While Spanish is considered among the simpliest languages to learn for English speakers, it is part of the seven most difficult foreign languages to learn for non-English speakers. It is the second most used native language in the world after Mandarin, and is the official language of 20 countries with an aggregated 475 million speakers.

Spanish language courses have the largest number of learners on Duolingo, Inc. estimated to be 33.4 million, as of February 2023.

4. Dutch
Score: 0.76

It takes a minimum of 24 weeks to learn Dutch, according to the US Foreign Service Institute. One of the biggest problems faced by learners learning Dutch is the mentioning of words, which might require speakers to use different muscles of their mouth as words starting with ‘g’, ‘ui’, or ‘r’ may sound different in Dutch than it does in English. Also, one word often has different meanings in Dutch language.

3. Bulgarian
Score: 0.86

The official language of Bulgaria, spoken by an estimated 6 million people, is estimated among the most difficult languages to learn, according to the Foreign Service Institute. The language shares some similarities with Russian and uses Cyrillic alphabets. About 44 weeks or 1,100 hours of learning is the minimum time to be required to be able to communicate in Bulgarian.

2. Albanian
Score: 0.93

The Albanian language can be a problem to learn due to its difficult grammar. It is spoken in Albania, as well as Kosovo. The language is inspired by Greek, and has about 7.5 million native speakers.

READ: Understanding Inclusive Education And Its Realities In The School System

1. Navajo
Score: 1.00

Navajo, a native American language that is used mostly in the southwestern region of the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, there were an estimated 170,000 speakers of Navajo in 2019. A number of people in the US take courses to learn the language to be able to communicate better in regions where Navajo is spoken.

Written by Ghana Education News Editorial Staff

The Ghana Education News Editorial Staff is comprised of seasoned education consultants, policy analysts, and verified journalists dedicated to providing accurate, timely, and credible updates on the Ghanaian GES curriculum, WAEC updates, and academic leadership.