discontinuity

/ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti/

//ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti// noun

"discontinuity" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“discontinuity” is uncommon English (frequency #52,897 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,897
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lack of continuity, regularity or sequence; a break or gap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-discontinuity · discontinuity · English

discontinuity · rank #52,897 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,897
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH discipleship

Nearest frequency peer: discipleship (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “discontinuity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “discontinuity” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for discontinuity
PropertyValue
Headworddiscontinuity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti/
Letters13
Frequency rank#52,897
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “discontinuity” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).discontinuityfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “discipleship” (#52,896), “disquiet” (#52,898), “doodling” (#52,901). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “discontinuity” is #52,897. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

discontinuity is uncommon English at frequency #52,897 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for discontinuity in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin discontinuitās, from discontinuus, equivalent to dis- + continuity. The correct English form is discontinuity, spelled D-I-S-C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lack of continuity, regularity or sequence; a break or gap.
  2. 2
    A point in the range of a function at which it is undefined or discontinuous.
  3. 3
    a subterranean interface at which seismic velocities change

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how discontinuity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. structural discontinuity
  2. sharp discontinuity

Etymology

From Late Latin discontinuitās, from discontinuus, equivalent to dis- + continuity.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "discontinuity"?
"discontinuity" is spelled D-I-S-C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti/.
What does "discontinuity" mean?
As a noun, "discontinuity" means: A lack of continuity, regularity or sequence; a break or gap.
How do you pronounce "discontinuity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discontinuity" is /ˌdɪs.kɒn.tɪˈnjuːɪ.ti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "discontinuity"?
From Late Latin discontinuitās, from discontinuus, equivalent to dis- + continuity. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "discontinuity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list