Kevin
December 11, 2021
Common Questions

Do you know what diction is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on diction, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

What is diction?

According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, diction refers to the choice of words in speech or writing, as well as enunciation, elocution or a manner of speaking. The word diction is two syllables – dic-tion, and the pronunciation of diction is ˈdɪkʃən.

There are many common types of diction, including formal diction, classic diction, literary diction analysis, concrete diction, good diction, and more.

Many different languages also contain words that mean diction. You may notice that some of these translations of diction look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of diction is provided by Word Sense.

Italian: dizione‎ (fem.)
Catalan: dicció‎ (fem.)
Ido: diciono‎
Turkish: söyleyim
Spanish: dicción‎ (fem.)
Hungarian: előadásmód‎
Hebrew: דיקציה‎
Portuguese: dicção‎ (fem.)
Irish: briathraíocht‎ (fem.)
Roman: dìkcija‎ (fem.)
German: Diktion‎ (fem.)
Polish: dykcja‎ (fem.)
Russian: ди́кция‎ (fem.)
Latin: dictio‎, eloquium‎
Dutch: dictie‎ (fem.)
Persian: گویه‎ (guye), بیان‎ (bayân)
French: diction‎ (fem.)
Japanese: 言い回し‎ (いいまわし, iimawashi), ディクション‎ (dikushon)
Indonesian: diksi‎
Kurdish: gotin‎ (fem.), derbirîn‎
Bulgarian: дикция‎
Cyrillic: дѝкција‎ (fem.)
Estonian: väljendusviis‎, diktsioon‎
Finnish: sananvalinta‎, lausuntatapa‎, kirjoitustapa‎, diktio‎
Mandarin: 吐字‎ (tǔzì)

What is the word origin of diction?

According to Etymonline, the word diction comes from the Late Latin dictionem and has been used since the 16c Late Middle English diccion, in which time period it meant “word.” The Latin word comes from the nominative dictio/Latin dictiō, a noun of action from the past participle stem of Latin dicere/dicāre and the source of the French dire, related to dicare and the Proto-Indo-European roots deik.

How can the word diction be used in a sentence?

The word diction can be used in many different sentences in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making quizzes for yourself or testing yourself with flashcards. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of diction.

The speaker’s distinctive vocabulary choices, diction, and physical movement made her very interesting to watch. She used all of her extremities to their fullest complexity to engage the audience’s states of mind.

The active character used a very different form of diction than the introspective character in an abstract way, which created a powerful sentiment in the last act of the play.

There was an imprecision to his diction. It felt like a burden, strain, and tension on his mind to speak with clarity; a poverty of thought, almost.

Allyn Bacon spoke with concise military verbiage compared to the diction of his sister, whose speech was rife with wordiness and clichés.

What are synonyms of diction?

There are a variety of equivalent words that one can use in place of the word diction. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same or a similar meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are trying to expand your vocabulary as well as if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word diction is provided by Power Thesaurus.

pattern of conduct
meaningfulness
wording
expressiveness
vocab
manner of speaking
utterance
speech
language
speaking
wordage
delivery
verbalisation
articulateness
enunciation
elocution
style of expression
expressivity
choosing words
vocabulary
way of talking
phraseology
drawl
way of speaking
public speaking
gift of gab
accent
choice of words
pronunciations
articulation
fluency
term
behavioural pattern
expressions
speechcraft
orthoepy
speeches
verbalization
speech pattern
modulation
word choice
phonetics
rhetoric
command of language
terminology
accentuation
jargon
eloquence
voicing
onomastics
lingo
speaking skills
locution
vernacular
voice culture
speechmaking
phrasing
idiolect
expression
oration
phonemics
phrase
vocalization
oratories
articulacy
parlance
verbosity
phonology
inflection
usage
eloquentness
twang
manner
turn of phrase
dialect
voice production
distinctiveness of speech
articulation of speech
distinctness of pronunciation
degree of clarity of word choice
proper grammar
articulation
speechifying
formulation
pronunciation
intonation
verbiage
oratory
langue
way of writing
phoneme
syntax
dialogue
declamation
mode of expression
regard
speech-sound quality
accuracy
rhetorical delivery
register
phonation
syllabification
articulations
idiom
idioms
word selection
verbalism
nomenclature
style
discourse
talk
lexis
behaviour pattern
characterization

What are other literary techniques and devices?

There are many different literary and grammatical techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these devices because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of literary devices from Reedsy and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you.

Repetition
Anastrophe
Chiasmus
Dramatic irony
Oxymoron
Isocolon
Foreshadowing
Tragicomedy
Juxtaposition
Colloquialism
Metonymy
Symbolism
Malapropism
Hyperbole
In Medias Res
Motif
Soliloquy
Litotes
Metaphor
Personification
Irony
Tautology
Anthropomorphism
Hypophora
Zoomorphism
Paradox
Tone
Point of view
Tmesis
Archetype
Satire
Euphemism
Allusion
Simile
Frame story
Aphorism
Onomatopoeia
Flashback
Cumulative sentence
Exposition
Imagery
Polysyndeton
Synecdoche
Anaphora
Anachronism
Allegory

Overall, the word diction refers to a person’s choice of words in speech or writing, as well as enunciation, elocution or a manner of speaking. This word is often used to talk about the way in which someone speaks or sings in a performance such as a play or music performance.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.