difficulty and trouble share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. difficulty means “an effort that is inconvenient”. trouble means “a source of difficulty”. trouble is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdɪfəkəlti/
1.n.an effort that is inconvenient
“I went to a lot of trouble”
2.n.a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result
“serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent”
3.n.a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome
“grappling with financial difficulties”
/ˈtɹʌbəl/
1.n.a source of difficulty
“one trouble after another delayed the job”
2.n.an angry disturbance
“he didn't want to make a fuss”
3.n.an event causing distress or pain
“what is the trouble?”
| difficulty | trouble | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɪfəkəlti/ | /ˈtɹʌbəl/ |
| Said | DIF-uh-kuhl-tee | TRUHB-uhl |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| Letters | 10 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 4 | 11 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | trouble | problem |
Full entry for difficulty · Full entry for trouble · More comparisons