Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

diligent

/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.23 in modern English

Syllables
dili-gent
IPA
/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English diligent, from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns (“careful, attentive, diligent”), present participle of dīligō (“to love, esteem much”, literally “to choose, select”), from dī-, dis- (“apart”) + legō (“to choose”); see elect and select.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *leǵ-, diligent, dīligēns

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/

Inflected Forms

more diligent (comparative) most diligent (superlative) deligent (alternative)

Derived Forms

diligently diligentness overdiligent undiligent

Frequently Paired Words

diligence

Synonyms

persevering

Questions

How do you pronounce diligent?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/.
What does diligent mean?
Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.
Where does diligent come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce diligent

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