Diction is a poet's choice of words and the level of language those words create, from plain and conversational to formal, elevated, or highly specialized. It shapes a poem's voice, tone, rhythm, and texture, and it can make a poem feel intimate, musical, blunt, playful, or precise. Good diction is chosen for effect, not just for meaning.
Example
The porch light hums above the rain,
my boots are muddy, my hands are cold.
Tonight the house feels small and kind,
and every simple word turns warm.
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[n] the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience
[n] the manner in which something is expressed in words; "use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton