"a rather difficult" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is typically used to describe something that is somewhat challenging or not easy to deal with. It can be used in various contexts and is often interchangeable with words such as "quite," "fairly," or "somewhat." Example: "The exam was a rather difficult task, but with some extra studying, I was able to pass it."
THE LOCATION If Japantown seems slightly stark, it is the result of a rather difficult history.
"In effect, he condemned himself to a rather difficult life," said Putin.
"My parents had a rather difficult time with it, especially my mother, which is strange if you think about it because it's not her name," Ms. Flink said.
The league has long been flying into perilous territory because crying poverty while swimming in money is a rather difficult sell to a recession-battered fan base.
In a rather difficult interview where she didn't' give away a whole lot, Bishop said he hadn't spoken to Abbott apart from to say "g'day" since being dumped.
(Nash, to his credit, wants to play out his contract, because he's in favor of getting paid another $9m, which is a rather difficult argument to counter).
Her next lead role provided a rather difficult challenge: playing a woman with borderline personality disorder who uses her lottery winnings to fund a talk show.
A Bindmans lawyer sympathised with him for having "a rather difficult time" at the station as he had been held in custody for more than six hours.
The faculty of Mannes College of Music's annual Beethoven Institute faces a rather difficult task every year in its two faculty concerts.
Balls on Strictly is the equivalent of comfort eating for us politicos and our hysteria is masking a rather difficult question.
Our book that deserved to do better: Frederick Seidel is a rather difficult character to deal with because, in the words of his American publisher, he will not lift a finger to promote his own work.
