diligence

/ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/

//ˈdɪlɪdʒəns// noun

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

"diligence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“diligence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,740. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,740
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Steady application; industry; careful work involving long-term effort.

Corpus desk

Index EN-diligence · diligence · English

diligence · rank #14,740 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,740
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH descending

Nearest frequency peer: descending (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “diligence”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “diligence” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

diligence vs diligent
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for diligence
PropertyValue
Headworddiligence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#14,740
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “diligence”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).diligencelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “descending” (#14,739), “disciplined” (#14,741), “descend” (#14,738). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “diligence” is #14,740. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around diligence (IPA /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,740 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for diligence, with forms such as "ddiligence", "diilgence", and "dilgience". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "diligent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French diligence, from Latin diligentia. The correct English form is diligence, spelled D-I-L-I-G-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Steady application; industry; careful work involving long-term effort.
  2. 2
    The qualities of a hard worker, including conscientiousness, determination, and perseverance.
  3. 3
    Carefulness, in particular, the necessary care appropriate to a particular task or responsibility.
  4. 4
    A four-wheeled public stage-coach, widely used in France before the general establishment of the railways.
  5. 5
    The process by which persons, lands, or effects are seized for debt; process for enforcing the attendance of witnesses or the production of writings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how diligence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1863 Joseph Story: Commentaries on the Law of Bailments Before entering, however, upon a particular consideration of the distinctions of the common law, with, a view of ascertaining the precise nature and extent of the obligations of the bailee in the various sorts of bailment, it may be of use to say a few words on the subject of the various degrees of c…
  2. He then proceeded to criticise the wording of the arbitration clause in the treaty. Who was to say what was "due diligence?' "Due diligence" itself meant nothing. What was "due diligence" as between man and man was not "due diligence" as between power and power. The rule was to be a rule of international law, and if there was one thing more clear than ano…

Etymology

Borrowed from French diligence, from Latin diligentia.

Synonyms

worksomeness

This word in other languages

diligencia(Español)diligence(Français)Sorgfalt(Deutsch)diligência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiligence
  • diilgence
  • dilgience
  • diliegnce
  • diligance
  • diligecne
  • diligencce
  • diligenec
  • diligennce
  • diliggence
  • dilignece
  • dilligence
  • dliigence
  • idligence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of diligence - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddiligence1diilgence2dilgience2diliegnce2diligance1diligecne2diligencce1diligenec2
Edit distance from "diligence"

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 English 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 /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/.
What does "diligence" mean?
As a noun, "diligence" means: Steady application; industry; careful work involving long-term effort.
What words are commonly confused with "diligence"?
"diligence" is commonly confused with "diligent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diligence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diligence" is /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "diligence"?
Borrowed from French diligence, from Latin diligentia. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "diligence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

diversion#14,744Ethiopian#14,752coastline#14,720influenza#14,773

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

delusional14 variantscollaborate14 variantsBerkshire14 variantsacquainted14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list