Which to use
“discipline” is a noun and “disciplined” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,847
- “discipline” frequency rank
- #14,741
- “disciplined” frequency rank
- 19588
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | discipline | disciplined |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A controlled behaviour; self-control. | Possessing mental discipline. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set discipline and disciplined apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: discipline is /ˈdɪsɪplɪn/ while disciplined is /ˈdɪsɪplɪnd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “discipline” sits inside “disciplined”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19588, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
discipline is recorded at frequency rank #4,847, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɪsɪplɪn/. disciplined is at rank #14,741, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈdɪsɪplɪnd/.
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 19588, this pair ranks #437,102 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of discipline vs disciplined
Shared letters: cdeilnps. Private to "discipline": -. Private to "disciplined": -.
"discipline" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV · "disciplined" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- discipline ← ddiscipline · dicsipline · disccipline · discilpine · discipilne · disciplien · disciplinne · disciplline
- disciplined ← ddisciplined · dicsiplined · discciplined · discilpined · discipilned · discipliend · disciplinde · disciplinedd
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "discipline" and "disciplined" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "discipline" or "disciplined"?
Remembering discipline vs disciplined
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “discipline”; for an adjective, it's “disciplined”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “discipline” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable