difícil

See also: dificil

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θil]
• Rhymes: -iθil
• Syllabification: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil (epicene, plural difíciles)

1. difficult (hard, not easy)

   Antonym: fácil

Related terms

• dificultá

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [diˈfi.sil]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (masculine and feminine plural difícils)

1. difficult

   Antonym: fàcil

Derived terms

• difícilment

Related terms

• dificultar
• dificultat

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Galician

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θiɫ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θiɫ]
• IPA^(key): (seseo) /diˈfisil/ [d̪iˈfi.siɫ]

 

• Rhymes: -iθil

• Rhymes: -iθil
• Rhymes: -isil

• Hyphenation: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (plural difíciles)
difícil m or f (plural difíceis, reintegrationist norm)

1. difficult

   Antonym: fácil

Derived terms

• dificilmente

Related terms

• dificultade
• dificultar

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin difficilis. See dificuldade for more.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒiˈfi.siw/ [d͡ʒiˈfi.siʊ̯]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /diˈfi.sil/ [diˈfi.siɫ], /dɨˈfi.sil/ [dɨˈfi.siɫ]

• (Northeast Brazil) IPA^(key): /di.ˈfi.siw/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (plural difíceis)

1. difficult, hard, unlikely

   Antonym: fácil

   • 2000, J. K. Rowling, Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban, Rocco, page 240:

     Era difícil dizer se a professora os ouvira, pois seu rosto estava oculto pelas sombras.

     It was difficult to tell whether the teacher had heard them, because her face was hidden by the shadows.

   • 2012, Manoel Indalercio Silva, Superpopulação, um Super Problema, Editora Baraúna, →ISBN, page 395:

     Essa história de “amigos certos para as horas incertas”, além de pai, mãe, filhos e irmãos, é muito difícil de acontecer. Até mesmo os parentes mais próximos não ajudam os necessitados muitas vezes.

     That “right friends for times of uncertainty” thing, besides father, mother, children and siblings, is pretty unlikely to happen. Even the closest relatives oftentimes don't help the needy.

Derived terms

• dificilmente

Related terms

• dificuldade

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “difícil” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “difícil”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis. Compare obsolete English difficile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θil] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /diˈfisil/ [d̪iˈfi.sil] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iθil (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• Rhymes: -isil (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (masculine and feminine plural difíciles, superlative dificilísimo)

1. difficult, hard, tough, challenging, rough, tricky, trying, arduous, testing
   • 2025 July 7, Sophie Tanno, “Aumentan los llamados para prohibir al partido ultraderechista AfD en Alemania, pese a su creciente popularidad”, in CNN en Español‎^[1]:

     En general, Holterhus considera que es difícil imponer la prohibición de un partido político en Alemania.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. unlikely (i.e. improbable)
3. awkward (e.g. situation or position)
4. (figurative) rocky, bumpy (e.g. start, road)

Antonyms

• fácil

Derived terms

• difícilmente (adverb)

Related terms

• dificultad f
• dificultar

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025