apple of discord
/ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/
"apple-of-discord" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“apple of discord” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.
Corpus desk
Index EN-apple-of-discord · apple of discord · English
apple of discord · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 16 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | apple of discord |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/ |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “apple of discord” in English
Rare enough to double-check
apple of discord is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for apple of discord in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: A reference to the μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος (mêlon tês Éridos, “apple of Eris”) in Greek mythology, a golden apple inscribed ‘for the fairest female’ which Eris (known as Discordia to the Romans), the goddess of discord and strife, tossed in the midst of the feast … The correct English form is apple of discord, spelled A-P-P-L-E- -O-F- -D-I-S-C-O-R-D.
Definition
- 1An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how apple of discord appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He has determined to enter the cabinet surrounded with creatures only, and, as to the Parliament, to trust to his dexterity and strength in throwing the apple of discord, occasions for doing which will, he imagines, soon and frequently occur.
He [Pope Pius VII] had hardly regained Rome when a domestic incident in the Bonaparte family became the immediate cause of that struggle between Pope and Emperor which only ended with the downfall of Napoleon's power. This apple of discord was the outraged honour of a Protestant girl, which the Holy Father maintained in the face of her angered Imperial br…
Etymology
A reference to the μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος (mêlon tês Éridos, “apple of Eris”) in Greek mythology, a golden apple inscribed ‘for the fairest female’ which Eris (known as Discordia to the Romans), the goddess of discord and strife, tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. This provoked a dispute among Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera as to who was the most beautiful, and eventually led to the Trojan War.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.