diary

The word “diary” means a book in which someone records their daily thoughts, feelings, or experiences. In plain terms, a personal record of daily events, or (in British English) a schedule book of appointments.

“Diary” is pronounced DEYE-uh-ree (/ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/ in IPA).

Here is “diary” used in a sentence: “She has kept a diary since she was twelve years old.”

“Diary” is a noun.

The word “diary” comes from Latin. From Latin diarium ("daily allowance," later "diary"), from dies ("day").

“Diary” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Diary” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a book in which someone records their daily thoughts, feelings, or experiences.

Both are books for recording personal thoughts and experiences, and in everyday use the words overlap heavily. A diary suggests dated, day-by-day entries about what happened and how you felt, while a journal is a broader term that can include reflections, ideas, sketches, or project notes on no fixed schedule. Journal is also the more common choice in American English.

A diary (i before a) is a book in which someone records daily thoughts, feelings, or appointments. Dairy (a before i) means milk and foods made from it, or a farm where milk is produced. They are spelled with the same five letters, which makes them one of the most commonly confused word pairs in English.

In British English, a diary is also a book or app for recording appointments and plans — what American English usually calls a planner, calendar, or datebook. So "let me check my diary" means "let me look at my schedule," not "let me read my private journal."

A diary is by definition a personal record of thoughts and experiences, but nothing about the word requires secrecy, and many diaries are later published or shared. In the British appointment-book sense, a diary is often deliberately shared, for example when colleagues manage each other's diaries at work.