The German word for difficulty is die Schwierigkeit.
It’s used to talk about problems, obstacles, or challenging situations—whether they’re practical, emotional, or academic. Schwierigkeit in German appears often in everyday conversation, business, school, and beyond.

It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (you can download the whole list as a free illustrated PDF), and a must-know for expressing real-life challenges.

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Schwierigkeit.
Need help locking down gender once and for all? This video lesson shows you how to spot helpful gender patterns.

Pronunciation:
Schwierigkeit is pronounced [SHVEER-ee-kite]

• “SHVEER” like “sphere” but with a ‘sh’

• “ee” like “see”

• “kite” like the flying object
  Three syllables: SHVEER-ee-kite

Example sentences

Ich hatte große Schwierigkeiten mit der Aufgabe.

I had a lot of difficulty with the assignment.

Er befindet sich in finanziellen Schwierigkeiten.

He’s in financial difficulty.

Trotz aller Schwierigkeiten hat sie nicht aufgegeben.

Despite all difficulties, she didn’t give up.

Nuance and usage tips

💬 Schwierigkeit refers to both singular and plural problems, though you’ll often hear it in plural form (Schwierigkeiten) when talking about real-life issues.

🧠 It’s more formal and precise than Problem, and is often used when describing challenges rather than specific malfunctions.

📚 Common combinations include technische Schwierigkeiten (technical difficulties), sprachliche Schwierigkeiten (language difficulties), and Verständnisschwierigkeiten (comprehension issues).

🚫 Saying Ich habe eine Schwierigkeit sounds overly technical—more common is Ich habe Schwierigkeiten mit...

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Ich hab Schwierigkeiten, das zu erklären."

I’m having difficulty explaining this.

"Wir hatten einige technische Schwierigkeiten."

We had some technical difficulties.

"Das war eine der größten Schwierigkeiten meines Lebens."

That was one of the greatest difficulties of my life.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Ben: Wie läuft dein Deutschkurs?
Lina: Gut, aber ich habe noch Schwierigkeiten mit der Grammatik.
Ben: Das ist normal. Ging mir auch so.
Lina: Danke – das beruhigt mich!

Translation:
Ben: How’s your German course going?
Lina: Good, but I still have difficulty with the grammar.
Ben: That’s normal. I felt the same way.
Lina: Thanks—that’s reassuring!

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Schwierigkeit liegt im Detail.

The difficulty lies in the details.

Accusative:
Ich sehe die Schwierigkeit ganz klar.

I clearly see the difficulty.

Dative:
Mit dieser Schwierigkeit musst du lernen umzugehen.

You have to learn to deal with this difficulty.

Genitive:
Die Ursache der Schwierigkeit ist unklar.

The cause of the difficulty is unclear.

Other ways to say difficulty in German

While Schwierigkeit is the formal and general word for difficulty in German, other terms may appear depending on tone:

• Problem – used more casually or technically

• Hürde – a “hurdle,” often used metaphorically

• Herausforderung – a “challenge,” often with a positive spin

• Komplikation – a “complication,” often medical or technical

Still, Schwierigkeit is the word to use when you want to sound thoughtful, accurate, and polite.

Word variations and tidbits

Common collocations include:
Lernschwierigkeit (learning difficulty), Schwierigkeiten haben mit... (to have difficulty with...), in Schwierigkeiten geraten (to get into trouble/difficulty), and ohne Schwierigkeiten (without trouble). Adjectives like groß, ernst, or überwindbar are often used to describe the type of difficulty.

🧠 Fun fact: The root word schwierig means “difficult,” and is often one of the first adjectives learners encounter. When turned into the noun Schwierigkeit, it allows for much more nuanced expression.

📘 Duden entry for Schwierigkeit
🎥 Want to overcome your vocabulary difficulties? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns—with examples, insights, and a printable illustrated PDF to support you through every challenge.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Segen means? It’s what sometimes follows a Schwierigkeit.
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