discretion
/dɪˈskɹɛʃən/noun
discretion is spelled D-I-S-C-R-E-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 7.9 times per million words in written English, the 8,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, discretion means “The quality of being discreet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of discretion is discretions.
How many letters and syllables are in discretion?
| Letters | 10: D-I-S-C-R-E-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.9 times per million words; the 8,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is discretion?
Discretion appears 7.9 times per million words in written English, the 8,266th 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 discretion?
- /dɪˈskɹɛʃən/
Discretion 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: En-us-discretion.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with discretion?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as discretion.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: directions.
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 discretion
- discretions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does discretion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The quality of being discreet.
Bob showed great discretion despite his knowledge of the affair.
- 2
The ability to make wise choices or decisions.
- 3
The freedom to make one's own judgements.
I leave that to your discretion.
- 4
The authority to exercise one's own judgement in making decisions that have effect.
The police came and searched us at their discretion because we were shouting at each other's faces.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Discretion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | discrétion , discernement |
| German | Diskretion, Takt, Verschwiegenheit, Angemessenheit, Unaufdringlichkeit , Klugheit |
| Portuguese | discrição , critério |
| Spanish | discreción |
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 discretion come from?
From Middle English discrecioun, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discrētiō, from Latin discerno. Equivalent to discreet + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).