Difference between "difficult" and "hard" [closed]
According to Dictionary.com
Difficult
difficult [dif-i-kuhlt, -kuh lt]
adjective
- not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard
a difficult job.
- hard to understand or solve
a difficult problem.
3.hard to deal with or get on with
a difficult pupil.
Hard
hard[hahrd]
adjective, harder, hardest.
1.not soft; solid and firm to the touch; unyielding to pressure and impenetrable or almost impenetrable.
2.firmly formed; tight
a hard knot.
3.difficult to do or accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome
a hard task.
etc. (many more)
In what situations is there a preference over the other? What are the rules for that?
Solution 1:
Good answers have already been given and accepted, but I'll just add that the word "difficult" might be seen as slightly more formal and/or sophisticated than "hard" in some contexts. I would lean toward "difficult" in formal writing. "Hard" can come across as a bit rough and workmanlike, so to speak.
Solution 2:
In the context you offered (i.e. difficulty), I think all four of your sentences are essentially correct, but the third sentence - Your neighbor is difficult to understand - sounds a little odd. I think most people would say
Your neighbor is hard to understand.
But, as you noted, there are other definitions. For example, it would be absurd to call a hard rock a "difficult rock," though the popular saying "caught between a rock and a hard place" could be loosely translated "caught between a rock and a difficult place."
Solution 3:
They are interchangeable a lot of the time as their meanings overlap. As someone else said they have different origins and the totality of their meanings are different.
Some examples of non-interchangeable sentences:
The rock is a hard, solid object.
Susan was being very difficult while talking with her counselor about what happened on Saturday.