# discard vs discern

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### discard
*verb · IPA /dɪsˈkɑːd/ · frequency rank #17,820*
To throw away, to reject.

### discern
*verb · IPA /dɪˈsɜːn/ · frequency rank #21,491*
To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/discard-vs-discern