English is Hard? It’s Weird but Easier than You Think

Is English Hard? No, but English is Weird!

English honestly makes no sense. The words ‘rough’ and ‘through’ have the same ending but are pronounced completely differently. And verbs are all over the place, like ‘go’ turning into ‘went.’ But here’s the thing, even though it’s a mess, that mess makes English easier to learn!

The best place to start learning is looking back at how English became so bizarre. If we look back at the history of English, we realize that it’s actually like a patchwork quilt that was stitched together over the centuries and across continents. If we look into where different words come from, you’ll find words that were borrowed from Norse, French, Latin, Hindi, German, and more. Every invading culture, every trade route, every wave of migration left a footprint on English.

So with this understanding of how English has changed over time, we can see where all this chaos comes from. But the plus size of it being so weird, is there’s a lot of flexibility in it. Now let’s dive into just how you can use that flexibility to your advantage.

Synonyms will Communicate Your Message

English is known as either the language with the most or one of the most words in the world. This doubling of words often comes from borrowing the same word from multiple different languages, all of which will now communicate what you’re trying to say. What that means for learners, is if you forget one word, you can replace it with a synonym that is easier for you to remember. So if the Latin words ‘construct,’ ‘purchase,’ or ‘inquire’ feel difficult to remember, you can replace them with Germanic words like ‘make,’ ‘buy,’ or ‘ask’ and be saying the exact same thing.

This is a gift for learners because you don’t have to master every word. All you need is to know some of the flexible basics. With all these choices, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck since you can switch so quickly.

Irregularities are Actually Shortcuts

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: irregular verbs. Why does “go” turn into “went,” and “buy” turn into “bought”? It seems unfair, but think about it. The most irregular words in English are also often the most common. Be, go, have, do, etc. And when humans repeat words constantly, they naturally get shortened and simplified over time. Saying “had” is easier than saying “haved”. Over generations, language evolves to make everyday communication faster. And this isn’t just an English thing. Spanish learners deal with “soy” and “estoy”. French learners have to memorize “être”, and German learners wrestle with “sein”.

Every language has its irregularities, but they almost always overlap with the most common words. The good news? Once you learn the top 100 irregular verbs, you’ve mastered almost everything you need to know for everyday conversation.

English is Forgiving

A huge reason that English is so popular around the word is because it’s forgiving! You can mess up word order, drop an ending, forget a tense, and you can almost always still be understood. If you forget to put a verb into past tense, like in the sentence, “Yesterday, I walk to school,” a native speaker will still know exactly what you mean.

Compared to other languages where a tiny mistake changes everything, English is built for survival. And you can even use that to your advantage with irregular verb conjugations, so an irregular past tense like ‘went’ can be replaced by ‘goed’ and English speakers will still figure it out. This is a dream for language learners!

Unusual Words are More Memorable

Here’s a weird psychological trick. Weird things stick in our brain. Why is ‘colonel’ pronounced like ‘kernel’? Why does ‘knight’ have a ‘k’ and a silent ‘gh’? It’s frustrating, but it’s memorable.

Studies show that unusual or strange things are much easier to recall from memory. This is because your brain pays extra attention when something seems off. When you struggle to decode the word ‘yacht,’ you’re much less likely to forget it. English is full of these quirky little puzzles like these. And once you lean into that weirdness, it can feel more like solving a riddle than reading a textbook.

5 Tricks to Mastering English

So, if English isn’t hard as we thought, then how do we make this messy language work for us? Here are 3 tricks to help you master English by using its weirdness to your advantage:

1. Focus on the top 100 words. These cover nearly half of everyday conversations in English. Once you have these basics down, you’ll be surprised at just how much you can understand.

2. Use synonyms to simplify. Are you struggling with a word like ‘purchase’? Just say ‘buy’ instead! And if a word like ‘assist’ is hard, use the word ‘help.’ There’s almost always a simpler option and multiple to choose from.

3. Embrace your mistakes. English speakers break the rules all the time. You’ll hear natives say, “Me and him went…” or little kids say “I goed to…” Don’t let perfection be the thing that holds you back, because English speakers are far from perfect at their own language.

4: Learn through stories. Weird spellings are much easier to memorize when they’re attached to an image, a story, or even a joke. For example, you might remember the silent ‘k’ in ‘knight’ like a ‘knock’ on the door in history. Now that silent ‘k’ is in a story form with other similar words that will stick in your mind for longer.

5: Learn in chunks, not rules. Instead of trying to memorize abstract grammar, pick up ready-to-use phrases. “How’s it going?”, “I’m looking forward to…”, “Could you help me with…” Chunks like this are good examples of how sentence structure works while also giving you an easier time in conversation.

English’s Global Power

English is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, and a lot of that is due to its flexibility as it spreads. It doesn’t just tolerate borrowing words from other languages, it thrives on it! This of words like karaoke, yoga, sushi, and emoji. These came from languages like Japanese, Sanskrit, and now show up in English dictionaries. English doesn’t have a “language police”, like French with the Académie Française. If a new word is useful, we simply just adopt it! For learners, this means you’re probably already familiar with dozens of English words and you don’t even know it.

The entire point of language is to communicate with people, not impress others with abstract grammar. And English, more than most other languages, rewards effort over accuracy. You can have a thick accent, mix up tenses, and even drop words, and people will still understand you. The key is to start speaking early, make mistakes often, and treat them like part of the process.

Every weird sentence you say gets you one step closer to fluency. Knowing just 1,000 words in English covers 85% of everyday conversations. This proves that you don’t need a giant vocabulary or perfect grammar to become fluent. You just need a solid core and the courage to use it. And remember, even native speakers only use a fraction of English words that are available to them, so just master the basics.

Yes, English is messy! It’s a Frankenstein of a language stitched together from every culture that it’s touched. Its spelling rules make no sense. Its verbs break patterns, and its vocabulary feels endless. But that’s exactly why it’s so flexible, forgiving, and surprisingly fun! English doesn’t demand perfection. It rewards creativity, confidence, and communication.

So, here’s our challenge to you: Embrace the chaos! Use the weird spellings as memory hacks. Play with synonyms and speak, even when you’re unsure. The more you experiment, the faster you’ll find your rhythm.

Why English is So Weird (and Easier than You Think!)

If you thought this article was helpful and want to see more details from our teacher Isabella, click the video below. Subtitles are available in English and 5 other languages by clicking on the gear in the bottom right corner. And if you want to see more of our videos, subscribe to our channel below!

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