Diary vs. Dairy – How to Use Each Correctly

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Diary vs. Dairy – What’s the Gist?

Just by looking at these two words, you can see how it would be easy to confuse them. Each word has the same five letters.

  • Diary is a noun.
  • Dairy is also a noun.

This confusion originates from something called a transposition error. More on this term later.

diary versus dairy

How to Use Diary in a Sentence

Diary definition: There is likely little unfamiliarity with the definition of this noun. In fact, many people may have attempted to keep one at some point growing up. A diary is a frequently kept record of events, activities, reflections, observations, or feelings.

For example:

  • One of the most well-known diaries kept was Anne Frank’s during WWII. (Plural Noun)
  • The child read her mother’s diary with interest and shock. (Noun)

Furthermore, a synonym for diary is the word journal. A diary is a personal journal, one not necessarily meant for public consumption.

How to Use Dairy in a Sentence

Dairy definition: Although dairy is also a noun, but that doesn’t mean that it’s interchangeable with the other one. It isn’t.

As a substantive, dairy has some definitional nuances, such as: a building or establishment where milk is kept and butter or cheese is made; the sale or distribution of milk or its products; the milk from a cow or a goat, or the products made from the milk of these animals.

For example:

  • The large dairy farm produced the region’s milk products. (Attributive Noun)
  • Dairy products are my favorite food group. (Attributive Noun)
  • The Dairy Farmers of America is a milk marketing cooperative that serves the United States. (Attributive Proper Noun)

The word dairy often functions as an attributive noun, meaning it is a noun that is placed in front of another noun and acts as an adjective by answering the question “which one?” Note in the examples above, dairy modifies the terms farm, products, and Farmers. Each one answering the question which one.

Outside Examples of Diary vs. Dairy

  • The complete diaries of Dawn Powell, the Ohioan-turned-New-Yorker whose literary reputation has burnished since her 1965 death, are up for sale. The author of “My Home is Far Away” and “The Wicked Pavilion” kept a diary from 1915-1965 that grew to 43 volumes. They amount to “50 years through the eyes of a woman now recognized as one of our greatest writers,” said critic Tim Page, the seller, in a telephone interview. –The Plain Dealer
  • This weekend, I decided it was time to start writing a coronavirus diary for our daughter to read through some day. Obviously, she’s living through this with us, but at 22 months old she’ll have no recollection of all this. There are parts of me that envy her obliviousness, but there’s another part that feels obliged to document this time for her, as it will reverberate, and be endlessly invoked, throughout her life. –Nashville Business Journal
  • Pressed by an ongoing slump in milk demand that’s played havoc with their conventional business model, dairy farmers are resorting to novel ways to survive, from making ice cream or artisan cheese to selling cow embryos to other farmers. –Star Tribune
  • If we are talking about foods that last a long time, count on cultured dairy, fermented veggies and pickles. Greek yogurt can last up to a month if properly sealed in the refrigerator, pickles can go for months and some kimchi may outlast us all. –New York Post

Phrases That Use Diary and Dairy

There are a couple of common phrases for the word diary. While there doesn’t seem to be any phrases for the word dairy, there are a plethora of idioms related to the byproducts of dairy.

Keep a diary: To write in a diary.

  • After her mother gave her one for her birthday, the young daughter faithfully kept a diary for years.

Dear Diary: Often the opening lines to an entry in a diary, suggesting a personification of the journal.

  • At the end of the day, the diary keeper started the entry with “Dear Diary.”

Big cheese: A designation for someone who is the leader or the person in charge.

  • The grandpa explained to his granddaughter why she had to listen to him by adding, “I’m the big cheese.”

Don’t cry over spilled milk: An admonition not to be upset over what cannot be changed.

  • When the driving test was over and the new permit holder realized that he had flunked the exam, his father said, “Don’t cry over spilled milk. You’ll get your license eventually.”

How to Remember These Words

As mentioned earlier, the confusion between these two words pops up because of a something called a transposition error. This is where two letters change positions. You can see the base word position in transposition. Some people will reposition the letters i and a in diary \dī (ə) rē\ to read dairy \der ē\ instead.

A way to remember to keep the letters where they should be is to equate the first syllable in diary to the word die. Both share the same sound: die. Most people would rather die than to have someone read their diaries.

Quiz: Diary or Dairy

  1. The truck of the car was filled with lots of _______ products for the party.
  2. After allergy testing, the boy discovered that he was allergic to _______.
  3. The author of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, kept many personal journals and ________.
  4. The judge ordered the girl’s _______ to be entered as evidence.

Article Summary

Is diary or dairy correct? These two words are easily confused especially since they are both nouns and share the same five letters. Do you want a book to write down observations? If so, choose the word diary. Do you want something yummy to eat? If so, pick the word dairy.

  • Diary is a noun meaning a personal journal.
  • Dairy is a noun reflecting milk and its byproducts.

Quiz Answers

  1. Dairy
  2. Dairy
  3. Diaries
  4. Diary