Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

diwali

/dɪˈwɑli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.91 in modern English

Syllables: Di-wa-li
IPA: /dɪˈwɑli/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

An annual festival of light, observed during several days in October and November.

Example Sentences

"Around one billion people worldwide and across the U.S. will celebrate Diwali this week."
"While Diwali is a major religious festival for Hindus, it is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists."

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi दिवाली (divālī), from Sanskrit दीपावलि (dīpāvali, literally “row of lights”), from दीप (dīpa, “light”) + आवलि (āvali, “series, line, row”). Doublet of Deepavali.

Origin

Source language: Sanskrit

Word Breakdown

Root: दीप्, दीपावलि

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /dɪˈwɑli/
British English: /dɪˈwɑːli/

Inflected Forms

Diwalis (plural) Dewali (alternative) Divali (alternative)

Synonyms

Festival of Lights Deepavali Deepawali Kali Puja

Rhymes With

ali holly molly bali poly jolly dolly mali somali trolley polly folly

Questions

How do you pronounce diwali?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈwɑli/.
What does diwali mean?: An annual festival of light, observed during several days in October and November.
Where does diwali come from?: It is traced to Sanskrit.

How to pronounce diwali

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