The Cebuano/Bisaya word Dili means “No / Not”. Pronounced DEE-lee, it is used as an adverb across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This guide covers what Dili means in Bisaya, how to pronounce it, when to use it, common example sentences, and how it compares to similar Cebuano words.
In Bisaya (Cebuano), Dili translates to “No / Not”. The word covers closely related meanings — No, Not — the right one depends on context.
Usage note: Used for negation. Different from Tagalog 'hindi'.
Bisaya word
Dili
English meaning
No
Part of speech
Adverb
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable — say it louder and slightly longer.
Bisaya stress is phonemic, meaning the wrong stress can change a word's meaning or make it unrecognisable to native speakers. For Dili, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in DEE-lee. Practice by saying it slowly first, then gradually speed up to natural conversational pace.
Dili ko gusto.
I don't want.
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