What does diligence mean?
Word: Diligence
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Diligence means careful, steady hard work. A child with diligence keeps at a task until it is done well.
Synonyms: hard work, effort, care
How do you spell diligence?
Syllables: dil - i - gence
Tricky part: The ending is -ence, not -ance, and the g sounds like j but stays a g.
Watch out for: diligance, dilijence, diligens
Memory tip: Finish diligence the way you finish patience and silence: -ence. Diligence and patience go well together, too.
Diligence in a sentence
Example 1: Riya's diligence helped her finish the whole science project on time.
Example 2: The ants carried crumbs with great diligence.
Example 3: Teachers notice diligence more than speed.
Fun Fact
In France long ago, a large horse-drawn coach that carried passengers between towns was called a diligence.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
diligence
a) laziness
b) patience
c) attention
d) neatness
Show answer
a) laziness. Diligence is steady hard work; laziness is not wanting to work at all.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to form a word:
d_l_gence
a) e, e
b) i, i
c) i, e
d) e, i
Show answer
b) i, i. Both gaps take an i: dil-i-gence.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) attention
b) kindness
c) honesty
d) dilligence
Show answer
d) dilligence. Diligence has just one l.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
gelincide
a) dilgience
b) diilgence
c) diligence
d) dligience
Show answer
c) diligence. The soft g sound is followed by e, n, c, e: diligence.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Four pupils have a test tomorrow. Who is showing diligence?
a) Neel, who is the tallest in class
b) Rohan, who always finishes first
c) Tia, who has the newest books
d) Asha, who checks every answer twice
Show answer
d) Asha, who checks every answer twice
2. Which saying best matches diligence?
a) Two heads are better than one.
b) Birds of a feather flock together.
c) Too many cooks spoil the broth.
d) Slow and steady wins the race.
Show answer
d) Slow and steady wins the race.
