All of us have encountered words that give us fits, no matter the level of English proficiency. You could be William Shakespeare himself and still trip up over a relatively-simple word. For non-native speakers, there are a few repeat offenders that consistently give headaches and tongue cramps.

According to a survey with more than 5,000 submissions, the following words were identified as the trickiest that the English language has to offer:

10. Rural

9. Otorhinolaryngologist

8. Colonel

7. Penguin (This word is of particular difficulty to British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who, ironically, was selected to narrate this video on the flightless fowl.)

6. Sixth

5. Isthmus

4. Anemone

3. Squirrel

2. Choir

1. Worcestershire

Read more fun facts about words.

Read more fun facts about languages.