had difficulty with

USAGE SUMMARY

"had difficulty with" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a struggle or challenge someone faced in the past. For example: "My mother had difficulty with math when she was in school, so she was very proud when I got an A in algebra."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Historically, design has had difficulty with diversity.

The New York Times - Arts

And he really had difficulty with this.

Cornell University

The school claimed it had difficulty with the payroll system.

The New York Times

Sampras acknowledged that he had difficulty with his serve.

The New York Times - Sports

Trammell, however, has had difficulty with his current role.

The New York Times - Sports

Some team members had difficulty with heights or previous injuries.

The Economist

At the start I had difficulty with my footwork.

The New York Times - Sports

Regular readers know that candidate Donald Trump had difficulty with facts.

The Washington Post

Compounding the offensive problems, Casey had difficulty with the physical tactics employed by the Cameroon defenders.

The New York Times - Sports

Her siblings had difficulty with her name, calling her "Wenda" instead, so her nickname was Wendy.

The New York Times

"She would have had difficulty with her perception, with her judgment, with her memory," she said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing past events, use "had difficulty with" to clearly indicate a challenge someone faced. For instance, "She had difficulty with the software, but eventually mastered it."

Common error

Don't just say someone "had difficulty". Specify what they struggled with to provide context and clarity. Instead of "He had difficulty", say "He had difficulty understanding the instructions."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had difficulty with" functions as a predicative expression indicating that someone experienced challenges or problems in relation to something. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in various contexts. For example, "Some team members had difficulty with heights or previous injuries."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

53%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Academia

2%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "had difficulty with" is a common and grammatically correct way to express that someone experienced challenges or struggled with something in the past. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is widely used across various contexts, including news, science, and formal communication. While "had difficulty with" is frequently employed, consider using alternatives such as "struggled with" or "encountered difficulties with" to add nuance or variety to your writing. When using this phrase, be specific about the nature of the difficulty to provide clarity and context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

demonstrated difficulty with

Focuses on displaying the challenge more explicitly.

suggested difficulty with

Implies the challenge was not directly stated but inferred.

had issues with

Uses a more general term "issues" instead of "difficulty".

had challenges with

Employs "challenges", suggesting a stimulating difficulty.

had problems with

Replaces "difficulty" with "problems", indicating a more negative connotation.

encountered difficulties with

Replaces "had" with "encountered", emphasizing the experience of facing difficulties.

experienced difficulties with

Focuses on the personal experience of having difficulties.

had a hard time with

Uses a more colloquial term 'hard time' for difficulty.

struggled with

Focuses on the effort made to overcome the challenge.

grappled with

Suggests a significant and complex struggle.

FAQs

How can I use "had difficulty with" in a sentence?

Use "had difficulty with" to describe a past challenge or struggle. For example, "The student "had difficulty with" the complex equation."

What can I say instead of "had difficulty with"?

You can use alternatives like "struggled with", "had problems with", or "encountered difficulties with" depending on the specific context.

Which is correct, "had difficulty with" or "had a difficulty with"?

"Had difficulty with" is generally preferred over "had a difficulty with", especially in general statements. The latter might be used when referring to a specific instance of difficulty.

What's the difference between "had difficulty with" and "had trouble with"?

"Had difficulty with" and "had trouble with" are very similar. "Had trouble with" is slightly more informal and can sometimes imply a more easily resolved issue than "had difficulty with".