discussvsdisgustWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,197
“discuss” frequency rank
#12,755
“disgust” frequency rank
14952
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature discuss disgust
Definition To converse or debate concerning a particular topic. To cause an intense dislike for something.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set discuss and disgust apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
discuss
7 ch
disgust

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. discuss (/dɪˈskʌs/) and disgust (/dɪsˈɡʌst/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14952, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

discuss is recorded at frequency rank #2,197, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈskʌs/. disgust is at rank #12,755, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈɡʌst/.

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 14952, this pair ranks #466,948 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of discuss vs disgust

Shared letters: disu. Private to "discuss": c. Private to "disgust": gt.

"discuss" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "disgust" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • discussddiscuss · dicsuss · disccuss · discsus · disscuss · disucss · dsicuss · idscuss
  • disgustddisgust · digsust · disggust · disgsut · disgusst · disgustt · disguts · dissgust

Frequency comparison

discuss#2,197
disgust#12,755

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "discuss" and "disgust" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɪˈskʌs/ versus /dɪsˈɡʌst/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "discuss" or "disgust"?
"discuss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,197 in our English list, against #12,755 for "disgust". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering discuss vs disgust

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 “discuss” 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