When you arrive in Thailand, what is the first word you say in Thai? We bet that it’s สวัสดี (sà wàt dii), which means hello. There is a vast lexical landscape waiting to be explored. If you’re up for a challenge, we have many hard Thai words to throw you into a loop!
Before we throw you into a sea of hard Thai words, we want to know how far along you are in your Thai studies. If you’ve been studying Thai for a while, testing yourself by reviewing these words can ensure you’re using the language correctly. Then we want you to tackle these challenging Thai terms that are prone to spelling and pronunciation errors together; let’s get you up to speak Thai properly!
Hard Thai Words Even Natives Pronounce It Wrong
Let’s tackle the easier Thai word first. Most native speakers will mispronounce these terms; thus, if you hear someone using a pronunciation that differs from the one in the table below, you should not adopt that pronunciation yourself. Of course, speaking Thai with an accent similar to that of native speakers is preferable, but proper pronunciation is also important. Well then, let’s get this party started!
| English | Thai | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra – พีชคณิต | พีชคณิต | Pii chá ká nít |
|
| Monk’s residential quarters | มณฑป | Mon dòp |
|
| Crematory | เมรุ | Meen |
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| Terminate/stop | ยุติ | Yút dtì |
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| Nearly – รอมร่อ | รอมร่อ | Rɔɔm ma rɔ̂ɔ |
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| Strange/abnormal | วิตถาร | Wít tǎan |
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| Qualification | วุฒิ | Wút |
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| Century | ศตวรรษ | Sà dtà wát |
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| Honest | สุจริต | Sùt jà rìt |
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| Temperature | อุณหภูมิ | Un hà puum |
|
| Appoint | รังสฤษฎ์ | Rang sa rìt |
|
| Radical | สมุฎฐาน | Sà mút tǎan |
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| Medicine | โอสถกรรม | Oo sòt gam |
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| July | กรกฎาคม | Gà rá gà daa kom |
|
| Strategy | กลวิธี | Gon lá wí tii |
|
| Sexual pervert | กามวิตถาร | Gaam wít tǎan |
|
| Occasion/period | กาลสมัย | Gaa lót mai |
|
| Methodology | กุศโลบาย | Gùt sà loo baai |
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| Reach | จรด | Jà ròt |
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| Penalty | ทัณฑกรรม | Tan tá gam |
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| Public | ธารกำนัล | Taa rá gam nan |
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| Conviction | ทิฐิ | Taa rá gam nan |
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| Childhood | ปฐมวัย | Bpà tǒm má wai |
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| Illness | พยาธิ | Pá yaa tí |
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| Parasite (animal) | พยาธิ | Pá yâat |
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| Queen | พระบรมราชินี | Prá bɔɔ rom má raa chí nii |
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| Driver | พลขับ | Pon lá kàp |
|
| Paratrooper | พลร่ม | Pon rôm |
|
Hard Thai Words Even Natives Can’t Spell Correctly
You can imagine the fantastic possibilities of this tonal language, given that the Thai script is one of the most difficult due to its 44 consonants, 18 vowels, and 5 tone marks. Aside from mispronouncing the word, the next lesson will cover the most often made spelling errors.
| English | Thai | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corpse (also refer to people with bad behavior) | กเฬวราก (commonly misspelled as กเลวราก) | Gà leeo râak |
|
| Goldsmith’s fee | กำเหน็จ (commonly misspelled as กำเหน็ด) | Gam nèt |
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| Honorary – กิตติมศักดิ์ | กิตติมศักดิ์ (commonly misspelled as กิติมศักดิ์) | Gìt dti ma sàk |
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| Be energetic | ขะมักเขม้น (commonly misspelled as ขมักเขม้น) | Kà mák kěe món |
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| Reign | ครองราชย์ (commonly misspelled as ครองราช) | Krɔɔng râat krɔɔng râat |
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| Villa | คฤหาสน์ (commonly misspelled as คฤหาสถ์) | Krí hàat |
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| Murder | ฆาตกรรม (commonly misspelled as ฆาตรกรรม) | Kâat gam |
|
| Layman | ฆราวาส (commonly misspelled as ฆารวาส) | Ká raa wâat |
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| Emperor | จักรพรรดิ (commonly misspelled as จักรพรรดิ์) | Jàk gà pát |
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| Intention | เจตจำนง (commonly misspelled as เจตจำนงค์) | Jèet jam nong |
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| Bright | ชัชวาล (commonly misspelled as ชัชวาลย์ | Chát chá waan |
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| Ambassador | ทูต (commonly misspelled as ฑูต) | Tûut |
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| Penalty | ทัณฑ์ (commonly misspelled as ฑัณฑ์) | Tan |
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| Balance | ถ่วงดุล (commonly misspelled as ถ่วงดุลย์) | Tùang dun |
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| Refer | เท้าความ (commonly misspelled as ท้าวความ) | Táao kwaam |
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| Custom | ธรรมเนียม (commonly misspelled as ทำเนียม) | Tam niam |
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| Reconstruct (refer to the temple) | บูรณปฏิสังขรณ์ (commonly misspelled as บูรณะปฏิสังขรณ์) | Buu rá ná bpà dtì sǎng kɔ̌ɔn |
|
| Orientation | ปฐมนิเทศ (commonly misspelled as ปฐมนิเทศน์) | Bpòt má ní têet |
|
| Command | ประกาศิต (commonly misspelled as ประกาษิต) | Bprà gaa sìt |
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| Virgin | พรหมจรรย์ (commonly misspelled as พรมจรรย์) | Prom jan |
|
| Brahman | พราหมณ์ (commonly misspelled as พรามณ์) | Praam |
|
| Commerce | พาณิชย์ (commonly misspelled as พานิชย์) | Paa nít |
|
| Storekeeper | ภัณฑารักษ์ (commonly misspelled as พันธารักษ์) | Pan taa rák |
|
| Circumstance | ภาวการณ์ (commonly misspelled as ภาวการ) | Paa wá gaan |
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| Palace | มนเทียร (commonly misspelled as มรเฑียร) | Mon tian |
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| Functional advantage | สารัตถประโยชน์ (commonly misspelled as สารัตถะประโยชน์) | Sǎa rát tà bprà yôot |
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| Plunder | ปล้นสะดม (commonly misspelled as ปล้นสดมภ์) | Bplôn sà dom |
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| Result | ผลลัพธ์ (commonly misspelled as ผลลัพท์) | Pǒn láp |
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| Procrastinate | ผลัดวันประกันพรุ่ง (commonly misspelled as ผัดวันประกันพรุ่ง) | Plàt wan bprà gan prûng |
|
| Die (refer to the monk) | มรณภาพ (commonly misspelled as มรณะภาพ) | Mɔɔ rá ná pâap |
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| Magical | มหัศจรรย์ (commonly misspelled as มหรรศจรรย์) | Má hàt sà jan |
|
| Decorative arts | มัณฑนศิลป์ (commonly misspelled as มันทนศิลป์) | Man tá ná sǐn |
|
| Giant | ราพณาสูร (commonly misspelled as ราพนาสูร) | Raa pá naa sǔun |
|
Easy Thai Words That Are Often Misspelled
We’re not just here to teach you the difficult Thai words; we also want to teach you the common Thai terms that even Thai people often need clarification on. So let’s review these words again to be sure you don’t make the same error everyone else does.
| English | Thai | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice cream | ไอศกรีม (commonly misspelled as ไอศครีม) | Ai sà griim |
|
| Cake | เค้ก (commonly misspelled as เค๊ก) | Kék |
|
| Chocolate | ช็อกโกแลต (commonly misspelled as ช๊อกโกแลต, ช็อคโกแลต) | Chɔ́k goo lɛ̂ɛt |
|
| Pad Thai (Thai food) | ผัดไทย (commonly misspelled as ผัดไท) | Pàt tai |
|
| Shaved ice | น้ำแข็งไส (commonly misspelled as น้ำแข็งใส) | Náam kɛ̌ng sǎi |
|
| Film/movie | ภาพยนตร์ (commonly misspelled as ภาพยนต์) | Pâap pá yon |
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| Permission | อนุญาต (commonly misspelled as อนุญาติ) | à nú yâat |
|
| Sudden | กะทันหัน (commonly misspelled as กระทันหัน) | Gà tan hǎn |
|
| Joke | มุกตลก (commonly misspelled as มุขตลก) | Múk dtà lòk |
|
In Summary
There are obviously many difficult terms in Thai that even native speakers get wrong. It doesn’t matter how frequently a word is used; its spelling and pronunciation will still be improperly spelled and pronounced by many. In addition to the difficulties associated with the Thai language’s tonal system, the Thai writing system presents unique challenges to those trying to master the language.
We bet you’re a Thai learner who wants to become an expert in Thai spelling and pronunciation; if this is the case, you should download the Ling app immediately!
Learn Thai With The Ling App
The Ling app helps improve your Thai pronunciation and memorization. If you need help with Thai pronunciation, the Ling app can help! We offer a wide range of terms that Thai learners can study from the comfort of their own homes or offices. In addition, the provided audio will allow you to capture how the words sound, recall them and listen to how they are pronounced in natural and different tones. The Ling app has it all and more!
Most Thai learners chose the Ling app to help them succeed, so why not join them? Download the Ling app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store now, and prepare to be fluent in Thai soon!
