discerning
/dɪˈsɝ.nɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
discerning is spelled D-I-S-C-E-R-N-I-N-G: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, discerning means “Of keen insight or selective judgement; perceptive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in discerning?
| Letters | 10: D-I-S-C-E-R-N-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is discerning?
Discerning appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce discerning?
- UK /dɪˈsɜː.nɪŋ/
- US /dɪˈsɝ.nɪŋ/
- Australia /dɪˈsɜː.nɪŋ/
Discerning has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-discerning.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with discerning?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as discerning from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnɪŋ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rescinding.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of discerning
- more discerning comparative
- most discerning superlative
- discernings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does discerning mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of keen insight or selective judgement; perceptive.
The discerning customer will appreciate our new range of quality clothing.
noun
- 1
discernment
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of discern
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Discerning in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of keen insight:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | aufgeweckt, scharfsichtig, wahrnehmend, erkennend, unterscheidend, urteilsfähig |
| Portuguese | sagaz, perspicaz, astuto |
| Spanish | discernidor, discerniente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.