Pronunciation

How to pronounce “diligence

“diligence” is pronounced /ˈdɪlədʒəns/ (DI-luh-juhns) in American English and /dɪlɪdʒəns/ in British English, and /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “dɪ”.
The sound

Say “diligence” in 3 beats

Say it like this

diligence

/ˈdɪlədʒəns/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪlɪdʒəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. stress
  2. dʒənsdʒəns
IPA (American)
/ˈdɪlədʒəns/
IPA (British)
/dɪlɪdʒəns/
Also accepted
/ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/
Respelling
DI-luh-juhns
Syllables
3 — DꞮ-lə-dʒəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: DꞮ-lə-dʒəns. “dɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈdɪlədʒəns/

British

/dɪlɪdʒəns/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “diligence” means

  1. noun

    conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation

  2. noun

    persevering determination to perform a task

    his diligence won him quick promotions

  3. noun

    a diligent effort

    it is a job requiring serious application

Say it in a sentence

Proper diligence before the purchase would have saved thousands.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

diligence”, answered

How do you pronounce “diligence”?

“diligence” is pronounced /ˈdɪlədʒəns/ (DI-luh-juhns) in American English and /dɪlɪdʒəns/ in British English, and /ˈdɪlɪdʒəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “dɪ”. Build it as DꞮ-lə-dʒəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “diligence” have?

3: dɪ · lə · dʒəns. The beat lands on the first, “dɪ”.

Is “diligence” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈdɪlədʒəns/ (DI-luh-juhns); British English says /dɪlɪdʒəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “diligence” mean?

As a noun: conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation For example: “Proper diligence before the purchase would have saved thousands.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “diligence”?

Stress the first syllable: DꞮ-lə-dʒəns. “dɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “diligence” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.