Why is English so hard?

1. Defective orthography
English has a defective orthography meaning that the spelling of a word often has nothing/little to do with the pronunciation. This is often an issue for children learning to read(and write) as they are taught by letter- sound correspondence(synthetic phonics) but then they also must learn that the sound of a letter changes from word to word, for example the 'a' sound in 'hat' is pronounced differently than in 'hate'.




2. Irregular verbs
Children are often taught rules by adults to aid their understanding and be able to use them when they are not there, for example, 'to make a word past tense add 'ed'' however there are many exceptions to rules like these that often confuse children or people learning English. This rule applies to words like 'walk' and 'shout' but what about irregular verbs like 'hit' 'read' and 'think'. Children have to learn the rules but also when not to apply them.


3. The amount of words
English has a vast number of words – the biggest of any language, according to some scholars. It’s a particularly complex lexicon because it has many different roots and influences, including Old English and Latin, which means that there’s huge variety in how words are spelled.


4. Idioms and slang
As with most languages, spoken English tends to be more informal than written English, presenting further complexity for the student with the unenviable task of learning the language. Slang is yet another aspect of the language for learners to get to grips with, knowledge of which is necessary in order to understand informal conversation (a very basic example is “yeah”, which is slang for “yes”). English is also littered with idioms, which don’t always make sense to those learning English, but in order to speak English like a native speaker, a knowledge of idioms is essential. You’ll hear phrases such as “fat chance”, “turn a blind eye” and “call it a day” adding colour to everyday language, and it’s not just the phrases you need to learn, but their meanings and when it’s appropriate for you to use them.


5. There are so many silent letters
English has so many letters that aren't actually pronounced. “K”, such as “knife” or “knock”. There are also other silent letters at the beginning of words, such as the silent “H” at the beginning of “honour”, the “p” at the beginning of “psychology” or the “G” in “gnome”.


6. The order of the words
The difference between the right and wrong order is so subtle that it’s hard to explain beyond simply saying that it “just sounds right”. For example, we often use more than one adjective to describe a noun, but which order should they go in? We would say “an interesting little book” not “a little interesting book”. Both are technically grammatically correct, but the first “just sounds right”.


7. Homophones
English is full of homophones. E.g. 'A bandage is wound around a wound' 'the door was too close to the table to close' and 'I decided to desert my dessert in the desert'.




https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/efl-difficulties.html