# diligent

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/ · frequency rank #21,490

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **diligently** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/diligent-vs-diligently)
- **diligence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/diligence-vs-diligent)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddiligent`, `diilgent`, `dilgient`, `diliegnt`, `diligennt`, `diligentt`, `diligetn`, `diliggent`, `dilignet`, `dilligent`, `dliigent`, `idligent`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/diligent