Which to use
“discussion” and “discussions” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,992
- “discussion” frequency rank
- #4,441
- “discussions” frequency rank
- 6433
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | discussion | discussions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Conversation or debate concerning a particular topic. | plural of discussion |
Where the eye mixes discussion and discussions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. discussion runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCVVC) against discussions's 11 (CVCCVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between discussion and discussions
A purely visual mix-up. discussion (/dɪˈskʌʃ.ən/) and discussions (/dɪˈskʌʃənz/) 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) - “discussion” sits inside “discussions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6433, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
discussion is recorded at frequency rank #1,992, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈskʌʃ.ən/. discussions is at rank #4,441, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈskʌʃənz/.
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 6433, this pair ranks #511,446 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of discussion vs discussions
Shared letters: cdinosu. Private to "discussion": -. Private to "discussions": -.
"discussion" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC · "discussions" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- discussion ← ddiscussion · dicsussion · disccussion · discsusion · discusion · discusison · discussino · discussionn
- discussions ← ddiscussions · dicsussions · disccussions · discsusions · discusions · discusisons · discussinos · discussionns
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "discussion" for "discussions" ever safe?
Frequency check: "discussion" vs "discussions" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "discussion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "discussions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #511,446 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "discussion" and "discussions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "discussing vs discussions". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #511,446 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.