“Mooseless. Ferina. Tai kon.” If you’re confused by these words, it’s probably because they’re not quite words. Instead, they’re sounds heard by people for whom English is not their first language. “Muscles. Foreigner. Chicken” are what they were attempting to repeat, but due to the English language being notoriously difficult, they just couldn’t quite pronounce them.

In a recent viral TikTok, @alanthedude asked people from different countries worldwide, “What is the hardest English word for you to pronounce?” Answers coming from French, Austrian, Polish, and other nationalities were understandably stumped at times. It’s no secret English doesn’t always follow the same rules as other languages.

@alanthedude #learnontiktok #learnenglish #streetinterviews #language #culture ♬ original sound – alanthedude

#learnontiktok #learnenglish #streetinterviews #language #culture ♬ original sound – alanthedude

The post has received nearly two million likes and over 11,000 comments. Even English speakers are often bewildered by the language. One writes, “As an English speaker, I cannot say rural.” Another shares the confusing nature of certain words being so close in spelling, yet having such different meanings and pronunciations. “Thought, though, tough, through, thorough, throughout.”

Cristina Miguelez, the Digital PR Manager and Specialist for online tutoring program Preply, shares some of the most common words in English that non-natives have a tough time pronouncing. Many, some will find, aren’t so easy to pronounce for English speakers either.

This one throws out most of the rules for vowels in particular. Miguelez shares, “Often considered the ultimate pronunciation nightmare, ‘Worcestershire’ completely ignores how it looks on paper. Most learners try to pronounce every syllable, but native speakers usually shorten it to something closer to ‘WUSS-ter-sheer.’ The silent letters and compressed sounds make it incredibly difficult for anyone learning English phonetically.”

This word, “borrowed from the French language,” can confuse some due to syllable emphasis. “‘Entrepreneur’ contains vowel sounds and pronunciation rules that do not naturally exist in many other languages. The ending alone confuses, with many speakers unsure whether to pronounce the ‘r,’ the ‘eu,’ or both. In English, it’s pronounced ‘on-truh-pruh-NUR,’ with the final syllable carrying the strongest emphasis.”

As mentioned, this word was discussed in the TikTok comment section and can be difficult even for people whose first language is English. “‘Rural’ contains back-to-back ‘r’ sounds that are particularly hard for speakers whose native language doesn’t heavily use the English ‘r,’” Miguelez explains. “Even native English speakers sometimes struggle to say it clearly at speed. Most people pronounce it something like ‘ROOR-uhl,’ although saying it quickly can easily make the sounds blur together.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Please Please… Don’t Quiz Me! (@pleasedontquiz)

A post shared by Please Please… Don’t Quiz Me! (@pleasedontquiz)

This word, as Miguelez describes, looks “nothing like it sounds.” She adds, “One of the least phonetic words in the English language, ‘colonel’ is pronounced ‘kernel.’ The disconnect between spelling and pronunciation makes it incredibly confusing for learners. Although the spelling suggests otherwise, it’s actually said as ‘KUR-nuhl.’”

Miguelez notes that she has found this word to be especially difficult for certain nationalities. “‘Squirrel’ combines awkward consonant clusters with the difficult English ‘r’ sound, making it one of the most commonly mentioned words by language learners worldwide. German, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese speakers frequently cite it as especially difficult. In most accents, it sounds roughly like ‘SKWIR-uhl,’ with the middle ‘r’ sound making it tricky to say smoothly.”

Also on Miguelez’s list were “February,” “coup,” “brewery,” “hyperbole,” and “phenomenon.” Whether it was the seemingly random placements of consonants or vowels, these words often trip up even the most fluent English speakers.

While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care. 

As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age. 

Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference. 

Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers. 

Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive. 

A Playful (and Powerful) Solution

Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish. 

Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety. 

In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients. 

Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.

Bubbles at Home and Beyond

Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.  

CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today. 

Meeting new people is never easy, especially when it comes to making friends as an adult. From engaging conversations to body language, a lot goes into nailing a good first impression.

And thanks to color psychology, your wardrobe also matters. Specifically, the colors you choose to wear can also impact how people perceive you.

“Research in color psychology consistently shows that colors influence first impressions, emotional responses, and social perception,” therapist Sonia Panchyshyn tells Upworthy.

Krista Walker, LCSW, J.D., and clinical director at The Ohana, adds “Research has found that people tend to form quick impressions based on color and other visual cues. The brain tends to associate certain colors with environmental or emotional cues.”

The color that conveys approachability

If you want to appear more approachable to others, there is one color you should try wearing: orange.

“Warm tones like orange are often associated with friendliness, energy, and openness, which can make someone appear more approachable,” says Panchyshyn.

A 2025 review on colors and emotion confirmed that light colors are associated with more positive emotions than dark colors. Orange was specifically linked with “positive, high arousal emotions.”

@masha.kaptilina Part 6 | Orange Lovers, is this correct?? 🍊🧡 Comment what colour I should do next?? #psychology #psychologyofcolours #orange #fyp #foryoupage Psychology Colour Psychology Orange Personality Test Psychology Test ♬ original sound – Masha Kaptilina

Part 6 | Orange Lovers, is this correct?? 🍊🧡 Comment what colour I should do next?? #psychology #psychologyofcolours #orange #fyp #foryoupage Psychology Colour Psychology Orange Personality Test Psychology Test

In another study, orange was correlated with increased energy and attention levels.

“Orange tends to communicate friendliness, warmth and energy. It’s associated with social connection. This can make a person appear more inviting,” says Walker.

Additional colors for approachability

If orange just isn’t your color, there are a couple more hues worth trying.

As communication expert Vanessa Van Edwards previously shared, she chose to wear blue to come off as more “confident, knowledgeable and calm” for her viral TED Talk, which she notes........

© Upworthy