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dificil

dee-FEE-seel (Remember the stress is on the second 'i'!)/diˈfi.sil/

“dificil” means “difficult” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

difficult, hard

Also: tough
A small, determined storybook character stands before a gigantic, rugged, and impossibly steep mountain face, symbolizing a difficult task.

📝 In Action

Aprender español no es difícil, pero requiere práctica.

A1

Learning Spanish is not difficult, but it requires practice.

Resolver este problema de matemáticas fue muy difícil.

A2

Solving this math problem was very hard.

Tuvieron un viaje difícil debido a la tormenta.

A2

They had a difficult trip because of the storm.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • situación difícil – difficult situation
  • pregunta difícil – hard question

demanding, tricky

Also: stubborn
A stern, richly dressed storybook character sits in a large chair, aggressively pointing at a tiny, insignificant detail on a surface, indicating being demanding. Another character looks stressed.

📝 In Action

Es un niño muy difícil en la escuela; siempre quiere salirse con la suya.

B1

He is a very difficult child at school; he always wants to get his own way.

La negociación fue difícil porque ninguna parte quería ceder.

B2

The negotiation was tricky because neither side wanted to give in.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • persona difícil – difficult person
  • cliente difícil – difficult client

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "dificil" in Spanish:

demanding→hard→stubborn→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: dificil

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses the plural form of 'difícil'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
dificultad(difficulty (noun)) — Noun
fácil(easy (antonym)) — Adjective
difícilmente(with difficulty / hardly (adverb)) — Adverb
🎵 Rhymes▼
fácildócil
📚 Etymology▼

This word comes directly from the Latin word *difficilis*, which was formed by combining *dis-* (meaning 'apart' or 'not') and *facilis* (meaning 'easy'). So, its original meaning was literally 'not easy.'

First recorded: 13th century (in Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

French: difficileItalian: difficile

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'difícil' change for masculine and feminine nouns?

No. Because 'difícil' ends in the letter 'l', it stays the same whether the noun is masculine ('el libro difícil') or feminine ('la tarea difícil'). It only changes for plural ('difíciles').

Why is the word sometimes written without an accent?

The correct Spanish spelling is 'difícil' with an accent mark over the first 'i'. This accent shows where the stress falls when you pronounce the word (dee-FEE-sil). Writing it without the accent is a common mistake.