diligent

/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/

//ˈdɪlɪdʒənt// adj

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

"diligent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“diligent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,490. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,490
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.

Corpus desk

Index EN-diligent · diligent · English

diligent · rank #21,490 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,490
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deletion

Nearest frequency peer: deletion (-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 “diligent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “diligent” 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).

diligent vs diligently
80% similar
diligent vs diligence
78% similar

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

Key facts for diligent
PropertyValue
Headworddiligent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,490
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “diligent”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “deletion” (#21,489), “discern” (#21,491), “deities” (#21,488). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “diligent” is #21,490. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around diligent (IPA /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,490 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for diligent, with forms such as "ddiligent", "diilgent", and "dilgient". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "diligently", "diligence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 … The correct English form is diligent, spelled D-I-L-I-G-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Scientists are very diligent in their work.

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.

This word in other languages

diligente(Español)industrieux(Français)fleißig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiligent
  • diilgent
  • dilgient
  • diliegnt
  • diligennt
  • diligentt
  • diligetn
  • diliggent
  • dilignet
  • dilligent
  • dliigent
  • idligent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddiligent1diilgent2dilgient2diliegnt2diligennt1diligentt1diligetn2diliggent1
Edit distance from "diligent"

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 "diligent"?
"diligent" is spelled D-I-L-I-G-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/.
What does "diligent" mean?
As an adjective, "diligent" means: Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.
What words are commonly confused with "diligent"?
"diligent" is commonly confused with "diligently", "diligence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diligent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diligent" is /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/. 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 "diligent"?
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 ... 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 "diligent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deletion#21,489Donnelly#21,494drenched#21,497crucible#21,481

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

cryptic12 variantsCopeland12 variantsconverge12 variantsendanger12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list