indiscretion
/ˌɪndɪsˈkɹɛʃən/noun
indiscretion is spelled I-N-D-I-S-C-R-E-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, indiscretion means “The quality or state of being indiscreet; lack of discretion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of indiscretion is indiscretions.
How many letters and syllables are in indiscretion?
| Letters | 12: I-N-D-I-S-C-R-E-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is indiscretion?
Indiscretion appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd 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 indiscretion?
- /ˌɪndɪsˈkɹɛʃən/
Indiscretion has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-indiscretion.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-indiscretion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indiscretion
- indiscretions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indiscretion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The quality or state of being indiscreet; lack of discretion
political indiscretion
- 2
An indiscreet or imprudent act; indiscreet behavior.
forgive an indiscretion
- 3
A brief sexual liaison.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indiscretion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Want of discretion:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indiscrétion |
| German | Indiskretion |
| Spanish | indiscreción |
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 indiscretion come from?
From Old French, from Late Latin indiscrētiō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).