Tortuous-Torturous | Commonly Confused Words

Tortuous

Having many twists and turns; complex or intricate in structure or path

The mountain path was tortuous and exhausting.Negotiations took a tortuous route to reach a deal.His tortuous arguments baffled the entire class.

/ˈtɔːtʃərəs/

Extremely painful or causing great suffering

The road to the summit was a torturous journey.Her decision led to a torturous internal conflict.Reading the dense document was mentally torturous.

Tortuous has an extra u, just like a winding road has many curves.
Torturous has the root word torture, which implies pain or suffering.
Remember that tortuous refers to twists and turns, while torturous relates to something painful or tormenting.