discreet
/dɪˈskɹiːt/adjective
discreet is spelled D-I-S-C-R-E-E-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “discreet vs discrete” about 960 times a month (Bing, United States). As an adjective, discreet means “Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in discreet?
| Letters | 8: D-I-S-C-R-E-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is discreet?
Discreet appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th 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 discreet?
- /dɪˈskɹiːt/
Discreet has 2 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: En-us-discreet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with discreet
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: discrete (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: discrete.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with discreet?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as discreet.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: discrete.
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 discreet
- more discreet comparative
- discreeter comparative
- most discreet superlative
- discreetest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does discreet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic.
With a discreet gesture, she reminded him to mind his manners.
- 2
Not drawing attention, anger or challenge; inconspicuous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Discreet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense respectful of privacy or secrecy; quiet; diplomatic:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | discret, respectueux |
| German | diskret |
| Portuguese | discreto |
| Spanish | discreto |
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 discreet come from?
From Middle English discrete, from Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, from past participle of discernere. Doublet of discrete.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).