diffidently
/ˈdɪf.ɪ.dənt.li/adverb
diffidently is spelled D-I-F-F-I-D-E-N-T-L-Y: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, diffidently means “In a diffident manner; without confidence in oneself” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in diffidently?
| Letters | 11: D-I-F-F-I-D-E-N-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 50 million words; the 220,118th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is diffidently?
Diffidently appears about once in every 50 million words in written English, the 220,118th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce diffidently?
- US /ˈdɪf.ɪ.dənt.li/
Diffidently has 4 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-diffidently.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of diffidently
- more diffidently comparative
- most diffidently superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does diffidently mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a diffident manner; without confidence in oneself.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Diffidently in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a diffident manner; without confidence in oneself:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | timidement, en hésitant, humblement, modestement |
| German | schüchtern, zaghaft |
| Spanish | con timidez, con humildad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does diffidently come from?
From diffident + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).