DIY stands for “do-it-yourself”: repairs, furniture or decorations you make without hiring a professional. As an activity: I love DIY, do some DIY at the weekend. Before a noun: a DIY project, a DIY shelf. The word is standard and neutral, fine in any text.
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do DIY; a DIY project / enthusiast / guide; do-it-yourself
- The small wooden shelf was my first DIY project.
- She enjoys DIY but calls a specialist for work beyond her skills.
- The guide shows simple DIY decorations made from paper and string.
What changed
First versionI made the bookshelf by DIY.
RevisionI made the bookshelf myself.
By often introduces a method, as in by hand or by train, so by DIY looks logical. But DIY is the activity itself, not a method. To say you made something yourself: I made it myself; or: the bookshelf was a DIY project.
Handmade means made by hand, but not necessarily by you: a craftsperson may have knitted the sweater. DIY means you did it yourself. A tutorial is the guide people follow for a DIY project.
Your turn
We spent the weekend doing ___ in the kitchen.
Show the answer
some DIY — As an activity, DIY is uncountable: do some DIY. A DIY doesn't work without a noun after it; you'd need a DIY project.
Describe something for your home that you made yourself. Use DIY project and name the material.
Our weekend DIY project was a noticeboard made from cork and an old picture frame.
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