it is not so easy vs it is not that easy

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They convey a similar meaning, but 'it is not that easy' is slightly more emphatic than 'it is not so easy'. The choice between the two depends on the level of emphasis or intensity you want to convey.

Last updated: March 27, 2024

it is not so easy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to express that something is not simple or straightforward.

Examples:

Learning a new language is not so easy.
Fixing the issue is not so easy as it seems.

Show examples from the web [+]

I am perfectly aware that it is easy to make these resolutions but that it is not so easy to keep them, but the method we used to build the Commission, Mr Poettering, was a very open one.
It is not so easy to be rational and to try to achieve something.
This is why it is not so easy to simply merge the two, because the coverage is different.
We are certainly in agreement that there are other types of fund that give more cause for concern than sovereign wealth funds and here it is not so easy to talk about transparency and corporate governance.
For those of us like myself, then it is not so easy.
The position is relatively clear: once you go into Congo, it is not so easy to withdraw again - this will not just be limited to four months.
I must say, however, that it is not so easy to implement because we come up against the principle of subsidiarity, and states tend to defend this jealously.
It is not so easy to get a programme such as this accepted, and the reason for that is clear enough, there being only five female Commissioners out of a total of twenty.
Sometimes I find it is not so easy to be both.
Mrs Bozkurt mentioned the issue of hotlines and I think it is a good idea, though it is not so easy to achieve.
Do not forget we have an objective reason, namely, that it is not so easy to arrive here from Spain.
As a Parliament, it is not so easy for us to get rid of them, but we can do something to improve the proposal.
We all know that coal can very easily be replaced by gas or other energy sources, but it is not so easy to cut CO2 emissions for lime, cement and steel.
But it is not so easy, why not?
Mr President, I would like to congratulate Commissioner Vitorino on his initiative, although I know that his hands are tied as a result of a lack of budget and because it is not so easy to introduce anything new in the European Union.
I hope that the collective management will be able in return to offer licenses unrestricted by the borders of the home state, including European licenses, but it is not so easy.
It is not so easy now.
Hello. It is not so easy to dance.
It is not so easy to do that.
It is not so easy when the aircraft commander cannot conclude that their conduct has been very serious or grave, in which case states may choose not to exercise their powers of custody.

Alternatives:

it is not very easy
it is not particularly easy
it is not quite easy
it is not as easy as it seems
it is not as simple as it looks

it is not that easy

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to emphasize that something is not easy or simple.