dificil

Dificil is the Spanish adjective meaning difficult. The correct standard spelling is difícil, with an acute accent on the i to indicate the stressed syllable. The unaccented form dificil is typically considered a misspelling in standard Spanish, though it may appear in contexts where diacritics are omitted, such as programming identifiers or URLs. The word is used to describe tasks, situations, or concepts that require substantial effort, skill, or resources.

Etymology and inflection: the word comes from Latin difficilis, derived from dis- “not” + facilis “easy.” In Spanish, the singular form is the same for masculine and feminine: difícil. Plural: difíciles. The adverb is difícilmente. The gender and number of the noun it modifies determine agreement with the rest of the sentence, but the form of the adjective itself remains unchanged in gender.

Usage and examples: difícil is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions to convey complexity or challenge. Examples include “Este examen es muy difícil” and “Es una tarea difícil de resolver.” It often appears in educational, journalistic, and everyday language. Common synonyms include difícil, complicado, arduo, duro, and intrincado, while easy is “fácil.” Related nouns include dificultad (difficulty) and the phrase “a difficult matter” can be rendered as un asunto difícil.

See also: dificultad; palabras afines en otros idiomas, como portugués difícil (difícil) and francés difficile, as cognates in Romance languages.