What is diction in speaking? Definition and examples
Diction has two meanings in speaking. It can mean word choice, the words you pick for your audience ("use" rather than "utilise"), or how clearly you pronounce those words. Good diction in either sense makes you easier to understand.
Meaning 1: word choice
In writing and rhetoric, diction is the choice of words and how formal, plain or technical they are. The right diction fits the audience and the occasion.
| Audience | Weaker choice | Clearer choice |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | "We're experiencing a degradation of service." | "The app is slow right now." |
| A general audience | "We need to leverage cross-functional synergies." | "We need sales and support to work together." |
| A wedding crowd | "The aforementioned couple" | "Priya and Tom" |
| A job interview | "I kind of helped out with stuff." | "I ran the weekly stock count." |
Example: the same update in formal and plain diction.
Formal: "We anticipate commencement of the project in the second quarter."
Plain: "We plan to start in April."
Neither is wrong; plain usually wins when people are listening rather than reading. See how to explain complex ideas simply.
Meaning 2: clear pronunciation
In voice and drama training, diction means speaking each word distinctly, close to what this glossary calls articulation.
| Unclear | Clear |
|---|---|
| "Wuh-jew say?" | "What did you say?" |
| "We sold fifty… fifteen?" | "We sold fif-TEEN units." |
| "Lemme get back t'ya." | "Let me get back to you." |
Clear diction is not about accent. You can have a strong accent and excellent diction; it's about finishing words and separating them, especially names, numbers and key terms. See how to speak more clearly.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between diction and articulation?
Articulation is the physical shaping of sounds. Diction can mean that too, or it can mean word choice.
What is good diction?
Words that fit the listener, said clearly enough that nothing has to be repeated.
Does diction mean losing my accent?
No. Clear diction works in any accent.
How can I improve my diction?
Read aloud slowly, finish every final consonant, and replace jargon with the plainest word that still means the same thing.