discourse
/ˈdɪs.kɔːs/
"discourse" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“discourse” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,168 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,168
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Verbal exchange, conversation.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | discourse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɪs.kɔːs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #9,168 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “discourse” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for discourse is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪs.kɔːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,168 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for discourse, with forms such as "ddiscourse", "dicsourse", and "disccourse". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "discourage", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”), from Latin discursus (“the act of running about”), from Latin discurrō (“run about”), from dis- (“apart”) + currō (“run”). Spelling modified by influence of Middle … The correct English form is discourse, spelled D-I-S-C-O-U-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1Verbal exchange, conversation.
- 2Expression in words, either speech or writing.
- 3A conversation.
- 4A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.
- 5Any rational expression, reason.
- 6An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault).
- 7Lengthy, often heated debate over controversial subject matter, particularly within fandom and activist spaces. Sometimes rendered as a proper noun with the definite article (i.e. "the Discourse").
- 8Dealing; transaction.
Etymology
From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”), from Latin discursus (“the act of running about”), from Latin discurrō (“run about”), from dis- (“apart”) + currō (“run”). Spelling modified by influence of Middle French cours (“course”). Doublet of discursus.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddiscourse,dicsourse,disccourse,discoruse,discoures,discourrse,discoursse,discousre,discuorse,disocurse,disscourse,dsicourse,idscourse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of discourse - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "discourse"?
What does "discourse" mean?
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Using “discourse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-S-C-O-U-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪs.kɔːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “discourage” - see the side-by-side comparison. discourse vs discourage
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.