Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

differentia

/dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.27 in modern English

Syllables: dif-fer-en-tia
IPA: /dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A distinguishing feature which marks a species off from other members of the same genus.

Example Sentences

"That character, it seems to me, should be regarded as the practically important differentia of religion for our purpose; and just what it is can easily be brought out by comparing the mind of an abstractly conceived Christian with that of a moralist similarly conceived."
"If genera are different and co-ordinate, their differentiae are themselves different in kind. Take as an instance the genus ‘animal’ and the genus ‘knowledge’. ‘With feet’, ‘two-footed’, ‘winged’, ‘aquatic’, are differentiae of ‘animal’; the species of knowledge are not distinguished by the same differentiae."
"In the case of a word like “surfboard,” the differentiae seem pretty clear. How is this board different from all other boards?"

Etymology

From Latin differentia. Doublet of difference.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/

Inflected Forms

differentiae (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

criterion definiendum

Questions

How do you pronounce differentia?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/.
What does differentia mean?: A distinguishing feature which marks a species off from other members of the same genus.
Where does differentia come from?: From Latin differentia. Doublet of difference.

How to pronounce differentia

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “differentia”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “differentia”.
Repeat and practice — Say “differentia” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.