Трудновыговариваемый
Trudnovygovarivayemyi – adj., lit. “difficult to pronounce”
It only makes sense to start with this word, which is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak. The tricky bits here include the double appearance of an unstressed “o” that ends up sounding like “a” instead. Yet another challenge comes in the form of “ы,” that most puzzling of Russian letters that we’ve written about at length before.
Of course, the most unpronounceable things in the Russian language are the tongue-twisters. If you want to try your hand (or rather mouth) at some of them, check out these tried-and-true classics or dip into our breakdown of the longest and toughest Russian tongue-twister.
Достопримечательность
Dostoprimechatelnost – n. “landmark, attraction,” lit. “something worth seeing”
The next word on the list is a pretty straightforward one – after all, it’s just a noun, and one you might be used to seeing as a tourist. Still, it has its fair share of tricky bits, such as another, now triple, instance of unstressed “o.” Take note of the double soft signs (“ь”), as well – these two take the difficulty up a few notches.
Speaking of landmarks: every week, our team publishes new guides to St. Petersburg’s myriad landmarks, from tourist hotspots to obscure spots beloved by locals. Whether it’s architecture, food, or theater that you’re after, you’ll be sure to find something in our Experience Saint Petersburg section.
Защищающихся
Zaschischayuschikhsya – part., lit. “of those who defended themselves”
It may seem a bit like cheating to include a past participle (in the accusative case, to boot) here, but there’s a good reason why this word so often pops up on the list of the toughest Russian words. According to a popular online anecdote (the veracity of which we couldn’t verify), the English author Lewis Carroll (of the Alice in Wonderland fame) once visited Russia in the 19th century and was so impressed by this precariously-stacked word, that he wrote it down for posterity. Whether this really happened or not, there’s no denying that this really is a word that could break even the most studious learner of Russian.
While on the topic of defenses: one of our writers recently put together a collection of deviously bad advice for anyone about to defend their thesis – or any academic work, for that matter. Check it out!
Credit: Aaron Burden (@aaronburden) via Unsplash
Бесперспективняк
Besperspektivnyak – n., lit. “a prospect-less situation”
This next word isn’t just handy for developing your tongue muscles; it should also be highly useful in social cohesion. It’s not a word you’ll find in your Russian textbook, but it’s one that any Russian speaker will immediately understand the meaning of – even if they’ve not heard it before themselves. Take note of the -няк suffix, which is often used to create words for various professions, items, or entire phenomena, such as in this particular case.
As wintertime looms closer, so, too, you may often find yourself coming down with a besperspektivnyak-esque case of the blues. In that case, be sure to get acquainted with our tips on dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Усовершенствование
Usovershenstvovanie – n. “improvement, betterment”
Good grief, four consonants in a row? Now we’re really talking difficult. Here, we’ve got a duet of unstressed “o” sounds making their return, though by this point they shouldn’t be much of a challenge for you. However, once you’ve mastered the middle part of the word, it shouldn’t present itself as much of a problem any longer.
Now, if you were to try and stretch the word out even further, you might drop the у- prefix and add the reflexive само- to create самосовершенствование (“self-improvement”). And when you’re done sovershenstvovanie-ing your Russian skills, why not cast the net even wider? Use the Self-Improvement tag to check out our various articles on bettering yourself academically, professionally, and personally.
