Dairy vs Diary at a glance
- dairy
/ˈdeəri/ · noun / adjective
Milk and food made from milk, such as cheese and butter, or a farm that produces it.
- I don't eat dairy, so I have oat milk in my coffee.
- The dairy section is at the back of the supermarket.
- diary
/ˈdaɪəri/ · noun
A book where you write about your day, or where you plan appointments.
- I've kept a diary since I was twelve.
- Let me check my diary – I might be free on Friday.
How to remember it
In diary, the I comes first: "I write in my diary." In dairy, the A comes first, and it sounds like 'air' – a dairy farm in the fresh air.
Good to know
Diary has three syllables, dairy has two. In British English, diary is also the normal word for a planner or calendar; Americans more often say calendar or planner for that.
Common mistakes
Wrong: She writes in her dairy every night.
Right: She writes in her diary every night.
Wrong: He can't eat diary products because he's lactose intolerant.
Right: He can't eat dairy products because he's lactose intolerant.
Quick quiz
1.Milk, yoghurt and cheese are all products.
2.I'll put the meeting in my so I don't forget.
3.Anne Frank's is one of the most famous books in the world.
Pick the right word for each gap.