dischargevsdischargedWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“discharge” and “discharged” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,911
“discharge” frequency rank
#10,197
“discharged” frequency rank
18108
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature discharge discharged
Definition To accomplish or complete, as an obligation. simple past and past participle of discharge

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set discharge and discharged apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
discharge
10 ch
discharged

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. discharge (/dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ/) and discharged (/dɪsˈt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “discharge” sits inside “discharged”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18108, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

discharge is recorded at frequency rank #7,911, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ/. discharged is at rank #10,197, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒd/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 18108, this pair ranks #447,066 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of discharge vs discharged

Shared letters: acdeghirs. Private to "discharge": -. Private to "discharged": -.

"discharge" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV  ·  "discharged" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dischargeddischarge · dicsharge · discahrge · disccharge · dischagre · dischareg · dischargge · discharrge
  • dischargedddischarged · dicsharged · discahrged · disccharged · dischagred · discharegd · dischargde · dischargedd

Frequency comparison

discharge#7,911
discharged#10,197

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "discharge" and "discharged" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ/ versus /dɪsˈt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒd/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "discharge" or "discharged"?
"discharge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,911 in our English list, against #10,197 for "discharged". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering discharge vs discharged

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “discharge” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list