discuss

/dɪˈskʌs/

//dɪˈskʌs// verb

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

"discuss" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“discuss” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,197. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,197
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To converse or debate concerning a particular topic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-discuss · discuss · English

discuss · rank #2,197 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,197
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH developing

Nearest frequency peer: developing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “discuss”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “discuss” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

discuss vs disuse
71% similar
discuss vs dismiss
71% similar
discuss vs disgust
71% similar

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

Key facts for discuss
PropertyValue
Headworddiscuss
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈskʌs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,197
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “discuss”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).discusslands 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 “developing” (#2,196), “elections” (#2,198), “concern” (#2,195). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “discuss” is #2,197. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around discuss (IPA /dɪˈskʌs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,197 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for discuss, with forms such as "ddiscuss", "dicsuss", and "disccuss". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "disuse", "dismiss", "disgust", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English discussen, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman discusser (French discuter), from Latin discussus, past participle of discutiō (“to strike or shake apart, break up, scatter; examine, discuss”), from dis- (“apart”) + quatiō (“to shake”). The correct English form is discuss, spelled D-I-S-C-U-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To converse or debate concerning a particular topic.
  2. 2
    To communicate, tell, or disclose (information, a message, etc.).
  3. 3
    To break to pieces; to shatter.
  4. 4
    To deal with, in eating or drinking; consume.
  5. 5
    To examine or search thoroughly; to exhaust a remedy against, as against a principal debtor before proceeding against the surety.
  6. 6
    To drive away, disperse, shake off; said especially of tumors.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Let's sit down and discuss whether we should have a baby.
  2. I don't wish to discuss this further.

Etymology

From Middle English discussen, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman discusser (French discuter), from Latin discussus, past participle of discutiō (“to strike or shake apart, break up, scatter; examine, discuss”), from dis- (“apart”) + quatiō (“to shake”).

Synonyms

bechatbespeakbetalkchatdiscussmoottalk abouttalk overtreat

This word in other languages

discutir(Español)discuter(Français)diskutieren(Deutsch)discutir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddiscuss
  • dicsuss
  • disccuss
  • discsus
  • disscuss
  • disucss
  • dsicuss
  • idscuss

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of discuss - 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.

ddiscuss1dicsuss2disccuss1discsus2disscuss1disucss2dsicuss2idscuss2
Edit distance from "discuss"

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 "discuss"?
"discuss" is spelled D-I-S-C-U-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈskʌs/.
What does "discuss" mean?
As a verb, "discuss" means: To converse or debate concerning a particular topic.
What words are commonly confused with "discuss"?
"discuss" is commonly confused with "disuse", "dismiss", "disgust". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "discuss"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "discuss" is /dɪˈskʌs/. 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 "discuss"?
From Middle English discussen, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman discusser (French discuter), from Latin discussus, past participle of discutiō (“to strike or shake apart, break up, scatter; examine, discuss”), from dis- (“apart”) + quatiō (“to ... 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 "discuss", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

concern#2,195falling#2,203holiday#2,207Ireland#2,210

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

angry8 variantsvalues8 variantslunch8 variantslying8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list