diligence

[…]

/[…]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“diligence” is uncommon German (frequency #80,249 among 45,632 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,249
frequency rank, German
45,632
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Eifer, Sorgfalt, Fleiß

Key facts for diligence
PropertyValue
Headworddiligence
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[…]
Letters9
Frequency rank#80,249
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “diligence” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). diligence lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

diligence is uncommon German at frequency #80,249 among 45,632 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Eifer, Sorgfalt, Fleiß".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for diligence, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is diligence, spelled D-I-L-I-G-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Eifer, Sorgfalt, Fleiß

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "diligence"?
"diligence" is spelled D-I-L-I-G-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "diligence" mean?
As a noun, "diligence" means: Eifer, Sorgfalt, Fleiß
How do you pronounce "diligence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diligence" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "diligence" come from?
"diligence" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “diligence”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is D-I-L-I-G-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as […] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list