Diction vs. Tone — What's the Difference?

Diction (Latin: dictionem (nom. dictio), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story.

A musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength

Choice and use of words in speech or writing.

The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

Degree of clarity and distinctness of pronunciation in speech or singing; enunciation.

A basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second

Choice and use of words, especially with regard to effective communication.

The particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of a colour

The effectiveness and degree of clarity of word choice and expression.

(in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions.

(theatre) Enunciation, pronunciation.

The normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle

Choice of words for the expression of ideas; the construction, disposition, and application of words in discourse, with regard to clearness, accuracy, variety, etc.; mode of expression; language; as, the diction of Chaucer's poems.

Give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a muscle)

The articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience

Harmonize with (something) in terms of colour

The manner in which something is expressed in words;

Give (a monochrome picture) an altered colour in finishing by means of a chemical solution

A sound of distinct pitch, quality, and duration; a note.

The interval of a major second in the diatonic scale; a whole step.

A recitational melody in a Gregorian chant.

The quality or character of sound.

The characteristic quality or timbre of a particular instrument or voice.

The pitch of a word used to determine its meaning or to distinguish differences in meaning.

The particular or relative pitch of a word, phrase, or sentence.

Manner of expression in speech or writing

A general quality, effect, or atmosphere

A color or shade of color

Quality of color

The general effect in painting of light, color, and shade.

The normal state of elastic tension or partial contraction in resting muscles.

Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ.

To give a particular tone or inflection to.

To soften or change the color of (a painting or photographic negative, for example).

To sound monotonously; intone.

To make firmer or stronger. Often used with up

To assume a particular color quality.

To harmonize in color.

(music) A specific pitch.

(music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.

(music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.

The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.

(linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.

(dated) A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.

(literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.

(obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.

The shade or quality of a colour.

The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.

The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus.

(biology) The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.

(biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.

A gun

(figuratively)

The general character, atmosphere, mood, or vibe (of a situation, place, etc.).

(Chiefly in the form lower/raise the tone of something) The quality of being respectable or admirable.

(transitive) to give a particular tone to

(transitive) to change the colour of

(transitive) to make (something) firmer

(transitive) to utter with an affected tone.

The one (of two)

Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or harsh tone.

Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.

A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm ahd a regular rise and fall of the voice; as, children often read with a tone.

A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.

That state of a body, or of any of its organs or parts, in which the animal functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.

Tonicity; as, arterial tone.

State of mind; temper; mood.

Tenor; character; spirit; drift; as, the tone of his remarks was commendatory.

General or prevailing character or style, as of morals, manners, or sentiment, in reference to a scale of high and low; as, a low tone of morals; a tone of elevated sentiment; a courtly tone of manners.

The general effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, together with color in the case of a painting; - commonly used in a favorable sense; as, this picture has tone.

Quality, with respect to attendant feeling; the more or less variable complex of emotion accompanying and characterizing a sensation or a conceptual state; as, feeling tone; color tone.

Color quality proper; - called also hue. Also, a gradation of color, either a hue, or a tint or shade.

The condition of normal balance of a healthy plant in its relations to light, heat, and moisture.

To utter with an affected tone.

To bring, as a print, to a certain required shade of color, as by chemical treatment.

The quality of a person's voice;

(linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages;

(music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound);

The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people;

A quality of a given color that differs slightly from a primary color;

A notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound;

A steady sound without overtones;

The elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli;

A musical interval of two semitones

The quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author;

Utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically;

Of one's speech, varying the pitch

Change the color or tone of;

Change to a color image;

Give a healthy elasticity to;