difficulty to grasp

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficulty to grasp" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression is "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping." Example: "Many students experience difficulty in grasping complex mathematical concepts."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

It is their difficulty to grasp that makes primes the basis for our modern information security.

The Guardian

This difficulty to grasp the concept of death, whether in cats or humans, is indicative of the sense of invincibility that accompanies adolescence.

Huffington Post

In all study districts we found that the greatest challenge was the initial difficulty to grasp and to apply the concept of AFR in daily practice.

Health Research Policy and Systems

Wire maneuver (Active grip with hindlegs = 0; Difficulty to grasp with hindlegs = 1; Unable to grasp with hindlegs = 2; Unable to lift hindlegs, falls within seconds = 3 ; Falls immediately = 4).

BMC Physiology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

"They have difficulties to grasp the rapid flow of information, and need more time to accept the manner of publicizing by Internet," said Ms. Chung, the Da Xiang gallery director, pointing to language as a major factor.

The New York Times - Arts

Now that you have the genre, you have to start out at an easy difficulty level to grasp the controls and elements.

WikiHow

Emerging technology may decrease the number of "abandoned" shopping carts by removing other barriers that exist in online shopping, such as the difficulty for customers to grasp the fit of pants or dresses, Roberts noted.

Forbes

Which she does without too much difficulty, as Don seems to grasp that what his daughter wants most from him is the straight story, even if it's not the super-cool tale he prefers.

Huffington Post

You need not look any further than Senator John McCain's efforts to give Congress a voice in the treatment of detainees to grasp the difficulty that the legislative branch faces trying to push back against a determined president.

The New York Times

But I can't see that there was anything that I could have done to prevent this, since I was too unfamiliar with the problem to grasp its difficulty.

TechCrunch

It seems that existing outcome measures have not been able to grasp the difficulty of every-day life by keeping the questionnaires short and practical.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the correct phrasing, such as "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping", instead of "difficulty to grasp".

Common error

Avoid using "to" as a preposition after "difficulty" when referring to understanding something. Instead, use "in" or omit the preposition entirely: "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping".

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as a noun phrase describing a challenge or problem related to understanding something. As Ludwig AI points out, the standard expression is "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

17%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

8%

Formal & Business

8%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "difficulty to grasp" is often used to describe something that is hard to understand. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, the grammatically correct forms are "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping". While examples exist in diverse sources, including news and scientific publications, it's best to use the grammatically accepted forms in formal writing. Consider alternatives such as "hard to understand" or "challenging to comprehend" to convey a similar meaning. When writing, always ensure the correct preposition is used after "difficulty" to maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to understand

Emphasizes the lack of ease in understanding something.

challenging to comprehend

Highlights the demanding nature of the comprehension process.

difficult to comprehend

Uses 'comprehend' instead of 'grasp' to express a similar difficulty.

not easily understood

Focuses on the lack of easiness in understanding.

presents a comprehension challenge

Rephrases the difficulty as a challenge to understanding.

poses a problem for understanding

Highlights the issue as creating an obstacle to understanding.

taxing to understand

Emphasizes the demanding nature of understanding something.

requires significant effort to understand

Highlights the amount of effort required for comprehension.

difficult to process

Focuses on the difficulty of processing the information.

obscure and hard to follow

Describes something difficult to grasp due to its obscurity and complex flow.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "difficulty to grasp"?

The correct phrasing is "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping". For example, "Many students have "difficulty in grasping" complex concepts".

What does "difficulty in grasping" mean?

It means having trouble understanding or comprehending something. It indicates a challenge in mentally seizing or understanding a concept or idea.

Are there alternatives to saying "difficulty in grasping"?

Yes, you can use alternatives like "hard to understand", "challenging to comprehend", or "difficult to comprehend" depending on the context.

Is "difficulty to grasp" grammatically correct?

No, "difficulty to grasp" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. The correct forms are "difficulty in grasping" or "difficulty grasping".