How to pronounce “diffident”
Say “diffident” in 3 beats
diffident
/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- difdɪstress
- fidfɪ
- entdənt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈdɪfɪdənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈdɪfɪdənt/
- Respelling
- DIF-ih-duhnt
- Syllables
- 3 — DIF-fid-ent
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: DIF-fid-ent. “dif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Where “diffident” goes wrong
- Often heard
“dih-FID-ent”
the stress is on DIF, the first syllable
What “diffident” means
- adjective
showing modest reserve
“she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture”
- adjective
lacking self-confidence
“stood in the doorway diffident and abashed”
Say it in a sentence
“He was too diffident to mention his own part in it.”“diffident”, answered
How do you pronounce “diffident”?
“diffident” is pronounced /ˈdɪfɪdənt/ (DIF-ih-duhnt) — 3 syllables, stressed on “dif”. Build it as DIF-fid-ent, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “diffident” have?
3: dif · fid · ent. The beat lands on the first, “dif”.
What does “diffident” mean?
As an adjective: showing modest reserve For example: “she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “diffident”?
Stress the first syllable: DIF-fid-ent. “dif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
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