discernment
noun
discernment is spelled D-I-S-C-E-R-N-M-E-N-T: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, discernment means “The act of distinguishing between things” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of discernment is discernments.
How many letters and syllables are in discernment?
| Letters | 11: D-I-S-C-E-R-N-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is discernment?
Discernment appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 discernment?
- US
Discernment 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)-Vininn126-discernment.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of discernment
- discernments plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does discernment mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of distinguishing between things.
- 2
The ability to distinguish between things.
- 3
The ability to perceive differences that exist.
- 4
The condition of understanding.
- 5
Aesthetic discrimination; taste, appreciation.
- 6
Perceptiveness.
- 7
The ability to make wise judgements; sagacity.
- 8
Discretion in judging objectively.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Discernment in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Diskriminierung, Urteilsvermögen , Einsicht |
| French | discernement |
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.
Where does discernment come from?
From Middle French discernement, equivalent to discern + -ment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).