discrete

/dɪˈskɹiːt/

//dɪˈskɹiːt// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"discrete" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“discrete” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,700. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,700
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-discrete · discrete · English

discrete · rank #13,700 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,700
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disguised

Nearest frequency peer: disguised (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “discrete”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “discrete” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

discrete vs discreet
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for discrete
PropertyValue
Headworddiscrete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈskɹiːt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,700
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “discrete” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).discretelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “disguised” (#13,701), “DIN” (#13,698), “dissent” (#13,702). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around discrete (IPA /dɪˈskɹiːt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,700 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for discrete, with forms such as "ddiscrete", "dicsrete", and "disccrete". 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, "discreet", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, past participle of discernō (“divide”), from dis- + cernō (“sift”). Doublet of discreet. The correct English form is discrete, spelled D-I-S-C-R-E-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous.
  2. 2
    That can be perceived individually, not as connected to, or part of, something else.
  3. 3
    Consisting of or permitting only distinct values drawn from a finite, countable set.
  4. 4
    Having separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors, as opposed to integrated circuitry.
  5. 5
    Having separate and independent channels of audio, as opposed to multiplexed stereo or quadraphonic, or other multi-channel sound.
  6. 6
    Having each singleton subset open: said of a topological space or a topology.
  7. 7
    Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a government with three discrete divisions
  2. There are two laws discrete, / Not reconciled,— / Law for man, and law for thing; / The last builds town and fleet, / But it runs wild, / And doth the man unking.

Etymology

From Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, past participle of discernō (“divide”), from dis- + cernō (“sift”). Doublet of discreet.

Antonyms

continuousintegratedmultiplexed

This word in other languages

discreto(Español)distinct(Français)diskret(Deutsch)distinto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiscrete
  • dicsrete
  • disccrete
  • discerte
  • discrette
  • discrrete
  • discrtee
  • disrcete
  • disscrete
  • dsicrete
  • idscrete

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of discrete - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddiscrete1dicsrete2disccrete1discerte2discrette1discrrete1discrtee2disrcete2
Edit distance from "discrete"

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 "discrete"?
"discrete" is spelled D-I-S-C-R-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈskɹiːt/.
What does "discrete" mean?
As an adjective, "discrete" means: Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous.
What words are commonly confused with "discrete"?
"discrete" is commonly confused with "discreet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "discrete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discrete" is /dɪˈskɹiːt/. 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 "discrete"?
From Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, past participle of discernō (“divide”), from dis- + cernō (“sift”). Doublet of discreet. 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 "discrete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

culinary#13,695endeavor#13,710follower#13,721hardship#13,731

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

disturb11 variantsconvict11 variantscontend11 variantsclicked11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "discrete". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "discreet". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #13,700 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list