Everything a computer does is instructed by a human at some level. Computers cannot understand human languages so, to give them instructions computer-friendly languages, also known as programming languages, are used to instruct them on what tasks to perform. Among these languages few are easy while few are hardest coding languages to learn. 

Computers only understand the language of 0 and 1, but humans do not. So, programming languages play the part. Easy programming languages are the ones with high code readability with programing features like object oriented approach etc,. Different programming and natural languages are used to create software, websites, applications, AI, machine learning, NLP, and other technologies. The choice of language affects success, so it’s important to choose the right one for the task and target audience.

Things to know before learning any programming language

Regardless of how easy or hard a programming language is, it requires time and effort to learn. If one has previous coding experience it will be easy for them to learn another language. For learning any language the most important factor is research and then persistence with proper planning. However, what makes a programming language easy or hard to learn are as follows.

Factors making a programming language easier to learn

Following are the factors that can make a language the easiest programming language to learn. 

If free learning resources are available for the language then it becomes a big help in learning it quickly. 

A programming language with consistent uniform rules is easier to learn new commands and functions. Thus, enabling beginners to grasp the concepts more quickly.

Integration of a programming language with another makes it more versatile and user-friendly for developers. In addition, one of the factors of the easiest programming language to learn is that its Syntax resembles simple English. This way anyone who is familiar with English can easily understand and learn the language. 

Having a large and active developer community means active support and help in learning the programming language, troubleshooting, and debugging any issues they may face.

Factors making a programming language harder to learn

Now let’s look at the factors that make a language the hardest coding language to learn.

The first and most hard to learn thing about a language is its complex and unusual syntax. Some programming languages have complex rules for organizing code or unconventional ways of doing so, which makes them difficult for beginners to understand and write.

A language with multiple programming paradigms takes more effort to learn because it requires understanding different approaches to solving problems. One such example is functional programming, which emphasizes mathematical functions and its immutability.

The most annoying thing that developers face, and the factor that puts language in the hardest coding languages to learn basket is its error handling. If it is hard to identify and fix bugs then the language is difficult to master, because coding is more about finding bugs than writing code. This is frustrating for beginners and solo learners, mostly because they do not have prior experience with coding and debugging. Solo learners do not have anyone to guide them through the process for the issue they are facing.

Every language uses technical jargon and abstract concepts like specialized terms and concepts. If you ever come across such a coding language then know that it is the most difficult programming language, especially if you do not have a computer science background.

Some programming languages are designed for specific domains, making them less accessible to general users and beginner learners. Additionally, it can be difficult to reuse code snippets in specific languages, which makes it harder to learn from examples and build upon existing code.

Some languages are best learned with the help of an experienced tutor or mentor. This is especially true for low level languages. They are the hardest coding language to learn because to execute one simple command or to write a small function one has to write many lines of code. For instance, assembly language is a low level language which requires complex and multiple lines of code to simply write a function that takes input from the user and prints it on the screen. 

What is the hardest coding language to learn

Check out the programming languages ranked by difficulty to get more insights on which language you should learn. The general rule of thumb is, if you want to be a web developer then start with HTML & CSS, then JS then learn a frontend language preferably React or Angular. After you’ve mastered frontend skills switch to learning SQL like MongoDB and then to the backend like Node.JS. 

Difficulty or ease of learning a programming language depends on an individual’s experience and skills. But, some languages are still considered difficult to learn. Let’s have a look at those languages and the reason they are the hardest coding languages to learn.

• Malbolge: an esoteric hardest programming language to learn. It is designed to be impossible to use because of its counter-intuitive ‘crazy operation’, self-altering code, and base-three arithmetic operation
• Haskell: A functional programming language based on mathematical functions.
• Prolog: It may seem easy to learn but its unconventional data structures, unlike other languages, make it one of the most difficult programming languages to learn.

These languages are often considered to be difficult to learn because they have complex syntax and semantics, and they require a strong understanding of computer science concepts.