Language Difficulty Ranking: A Complete List (2024)

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has made a detailed ranking. It shows how long English speakers need to learn a language to get to “Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3)” and “Reading 3: General Professional Proficiency in Reading (R3)”. This ranking gives a clear view of how hard it is to learn different languages. It’s based on the FSI’s vast experience teaching languages to thousands of students over about 76 years.

Learning a language can be different for everyone, but the FSI‘s ranking helps show how hard it might be. They look at things like how similar the language is to English, its grammar, and how hard the pronunciation is. This helps them make a detailed ranking of language difficulty for English speakers starting to learn a new language.

Key Takeaways

  • The FSI has created a comprehensivelanguage difficulty rankingbased on their extensive experience teaching languages to U.S. diplomats.
  • The ranking categorizes languages into five groups, with Category I languages being the easiest and Category V languages being the most challenging for English speakers.
  • Factors like linguistic relatedness, grammatical complexity, and pronunciation nuances contribute to a language’s placement within the difficulty hierarchy.
  • Category I languages, such as French and Spanish, typically require 24-30 weeks (600-750 class hours) to reach proficiency.
  • Category V languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic, demand around 88 weeks (2200 class hours) for proficiency.

Table Of Contents

  1. Key Takeaways
  2. What Factors Influence Language Difficulty for English Speakers?
  3. Overview of the FSI Language Difficulty Categories
  4. Category I: Closely Related Languages (23-24 Weeks)
  5. Category II: German (30 Weeks)
  6. Category III: Cultural and Linguistic Differences (36 Weeks)
  7. Category IV: Significant Differences from English (44 Weeks)
  8. Category V: Exceptionally Challenging Languages (88 Weeks)
  9. What is the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) language difficulty ranking?
  10. What factors influence language difficulty for English speakers?
  11. What are the FSI language difficulty categories?
  12. Why are the "super-hard languages" so difficult for English speakers to learn?
  13. Is the FSI language difficulty ranking definitive?

Introduction to Language Difficulty Rankings

There’s no clear answer to which languages are easiest or hardest. Yet, the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) offers a helpful framework. It ranks languages by how long it takes English speakers to become proficient. This means reaching a level of “Professional Working Proficiency,” which is like scoring “Speaking-3/Reading-3” (S-3/R-3) on a certain scale.

What Factors Influence Language Difficulty for English Speakers?

Several factors affect how hard a language is for English speakers. Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing systems play big roles. Languages that are farthest from English in these areas are usually harder to learn.

Overview of the FSI Language Difficulty Categories

  • Category I:Closely related languages, requiring 23-30 weeks (600-750 class hours) to reach proficiency.
  • Category II:Languages with some linguistic and/or cultural differences, requiring about 36 weeks (900 class hours).
  • Category III:Languages with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences, requiring approximately 44 weeks (1,100 class hours).
  • Category IV:“Super-hard” languages, requiring 88 weeks (2,200 class hours).

We’ll look at which languages fall into each category in the next sections.

language difficulty ranking: Breaking Down the Categories

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has sorted languages into five groups. These groups show how long it takes English speakers to get good at a language. Let’s look at the first two groups.

Category I: Closely Related Languages (23-24 Weeks)

Category I languages are the easiest for English speakers to learn. They need about 23-24 weeks or 575-600 class hours to get proficient. This group includes languages likeAfrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Swedish.

These languages are similar to English in grammar, words, and how they sound. This makes learning them easier for English speakers.

Related: Easiest Languages To Learn For English Speakers

Category II: German (30 Weeks)

Category II includes German, which is a bit harder. German has complex grammar, like cases and word order. English speakers need about 30 weeks or 750 class hours to get good at German.

Language CategoryEstimated WeeksEstimated Class HoursExample Languages
Category I23-24 weeks575-600 hoursAfrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish
Category II30 weeks750 hoursGerman

As we move up thelanguage difficulty scale, things get harder. English speakers face more challenges. We’ll look at the harder categories next.

The Challenges of More Distant Languages

When we dive into learning new languages, some are harder for English speakers. These languages, in Categories III and IV, need a lot more time and effort. They have big cultural and linguistic differences from English.

Category III: Cultural and Linguistic Differences (36 Weeks)

Languages likeIndonesian, Malaysian, and Swahiliare tough for English speakers. They have complex grammar, new words, and writing systems not like English’s. Getting used to these differences takes time and requires diving deep into the language and culture.

Category IV: Significant Differences from English (44 Weeks)

Languages in Category IV, such asAlbanian, Amharic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Bengali, are even harder. They have very different grammar, writing, and sounds from English. For example,Arabichas a unique alphabet and script that’s hard for English speakers.Mandarin Chineseis tough because of its tones and idioms.Japanesehas three writing systems with thousands of characters, making it complex.

Learning these languages means being dedicated, patient, and open to the culture. With hard work and a real interest, English speakers can overcome these challenges. They can discover the beauty of these languages.

Related: Try our Language Learning Duration Estimator.

The Super-Difficult Languages for English Speakers

Some languages are tough for native English speakers, but a few are super hard. These “super-hard languages” have grammar, vocabulary, and writing systems very different from English. This makes them tough for English learners.

Category V: Exceptionally Challenging Languages (88 Weeks)

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) calls some languages “exceptionally challenging” for English speakers. Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are in this group. They need an average of 88 weeks or 2,200 hours of hard study to get good at them.

  • Mandarin Chineseis the most spoken native language, with 918 million speakers. Its writing system and four tones are hard for English speakers.
  • Arabicis in the top five most spoken languages. It has many dialects, a right-to-left script, and complex grammar, making it hard for English speakers.
  • JapaneseandKoreanlanguages also belong here. They have unique writing systems and complex grammar unlike English.

Learning these “exceptionally challenging languages” takes a lot of hard work and effort from English speakers. But, it can be very rewarding, both personally and professionally.

Language Difficulty Ranking: A Complete List (1)

Conclusion

The FSIlanguage difficulty rankinghelps English speakers see how hard different languages are to learn. It looks at grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing systems. This gives us clues on what makes a language tough or easy.

Even the toughest languages can be learned with hard work, good strategies, and regular practice. It’s important to keep an open mind and be ready to learn about the language’s culture and unique traits.

Knowing about language difficulty rankings helps English speakers plan their learning better. They can set achievable goals, use their time and resources wisely, and find the best ways to study. This way, they can reach the language level they want.

FAQ

What is the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) language difficulty ranking?

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) lists languages by how long English speakers need to learn them. They aim for “Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3)” and “Reading 3: General Professional Proficiency in Reading (R3)”. This ranking might not match everyone’s experience, but it’s based on the FSI’s vast teaching experience over 70 years.

What factors influence language difficulty for English speakers?

Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing systems affect how hard a language is for English speakers.

What are the FSI language difficulty categories?

The FSI divides languages into categories based on difficulty. Category I includes languages like Afrikaans and French, which are easier for English speakers. Category II has German, known for its complex grammar. Category III includes languages like Indonesian, which are quite different from English.

Category IV covers languages like Albanian, which are even more challenging. Category V, the hardest, includes languages like Arabic and Mandarin, which are very tough for English speakers.

Why are the “super-hard languages” so difficult for English speakers to learn?

Languages in Category V, like Arabic and Mandarin, are very hard for English speakers. They have unique grammar, vocabulary, and writing systems that differ a lot from English.

Is the FSI language difficulty ranking definitive?

The FSI ranking gives a general idea of how hard languages are for English speakers. But, it’s not set in stone. People learn at different paces, and some might find certain languages easier or harder than the ranking suggests.

Language Difficulty Ranking: A Complete List (2024)

FAQs

What are the levels of difficulty in language? ›

Category I: Languages closely related to English. Category II: Languages that take a little longer to master than Category I languages. Category III: Languages with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English. Category IV: Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers.

What is category 5 language difficulty? ›

Category V: 88 weeks (2200 hours)

Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers: Arabic, Cantonese (Chinese), Madarin (Chinese), Japanese, Korean.

What are the language ranking levels? ›

How many language levels are there? There are six levels of language proficiency (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) according to the CEFR scale. They are grouped into three broader levels: A1-A2 (Basic User), B1-B2 (Independent User), and C1-C2 (Proficient User). What is the most popular CEFR level?

What is the top 15 hardest language to learn? ›

  • Which languages are hard to learn? Some of the languages that are hard for English speakers to learn are Icelandic, Russian, Polish, Serbian, Greek, Farsi, Hungarian, Finnish, Turkish, Basque, and Navajo. ...
  • Icelandic. ...
  • Russian. ...
  • Polish. ...
  • Serbian. ...
  • Greek. ...
  • Farsi. ...
  • Hungarian.
Dec 20, 2023

Is Navajo harder than Chinese? ›

According to many linguists, the most difficult language in the world isn't Mandarin or Basque or Hungarian or Xhosa, spoken in South Africa, but Navajo. Concentrated in Arizona and New Mexico, the Navajo are one of the largest Native American groups in the United States.

How does the CIA learn languages? ›

The Intelligence Language Institute (ILI) is the premier language school in the Intelligence Community. The ILI supports CIA's intelligence mission by enabling and enhancing foreign language skills anytime, anywhere.

Is Greek a level 4 language? ›

Category IV includes the most challenging European languages for English speakers to pick up. Here you'll find Slavic and Baltic languages such as Polish, Croatian, and Latvian, as well as Greek, Turkish, and Icelandic. This category also includes Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian.

Is Spanish a Category 1 language? ›

The language categories are as follows: Category I – Languages that usually require around 24-30 weeks or 600-750 class hours to reach S-3/R-3 proficiency. This group contains languages like French, Spanish, Romanian and Dutch.

What are language levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2? ›

Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
A Beginners levelA1 A2
B Intermediate levelB1 B2
C Advanced levelC1 C2

What language level is considered fluent? ›

C1 = fluent to business fluent language skills (proficient user) B2 = fluent language level (independent user) B1 = good language skills (independent user) A2 = in-depth basic language skills (basic user)

What is the 10 most difficult languages to learn? ›

List of Top 10 Hardest Languages in the World: There are around 7000 languages in the world out of which the top 10 hardest languages in the world are Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Finnish, Icelandic, Polish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

What is the 50 hardest language to learn? ›

This is according to a consensus of Tagalog, Hungarian, Korean, Finnish, Vietnamese, Russian, Turkish, Polish, Japanese, talugu, Arabic, and number one, which is the second most popular language. in the Mandarin.

What is the 20 hardest language in the world? ›

Our countdown includes Vietnamese, Polish, Russian, Arabic, Korean, and more!
  1. #1: Cantonese. Cantonese is Hong Kong's primary language, and many speakers also live in parts of mainland China.
  2. #2: Arabic. ...
  3. #3: Japanese. ...
  4. #4: Russian. ...
  5. #5: Mandarin. ...
  6. #6: Finnish. ...
  7. #7: Icelandic. ...
  8. #8: Korean. ...

What is the 7 hardest language to learn? ›

The 7 hardest languages to learn (especially if you're an English speaker!)
  • Learning Arabic as an English speaker. ...
  • Learning Japanese as an English speaker. ...
  • Learning Hungarian as an English speaker. ...
  • Learning Korean as an English speaker. ...
  • Learning Finnish as an English speaker. ...
  • Learning Polish as an English speaker.
Jan 25, 2021

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