Which to use
“discret” is an adjective and “discrète” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,969
- “discret” frequency rank
- #9,148
- “discrète” frequency rank
- 15117
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | discret | discrète |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui ne se fait pas remarquer, par exemple qui est réservé, retenu dans ses paroles et dans ses actions. | Mouche discrète, c’est-à-dire grain de beauté factice placé sous de la lèvre inférieure, vers le menton. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set discret and discrète apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: discret is \dis.kʁɛ\ while discrète is \dis.kʁɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
discret is recorded at frequency rank #5,969, classified as anadj, pronounced \dis.kʁɛ\. discrète is at rank #9,148, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dis.kʁɛt\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 15117, this pair ranks #393,783 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of discret vs discrète
Shared letters: cdeirst. Private to "discret": -. Private to "discrète": è.
"discret" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "discrète" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- discret ← ddiscret · dicsret · disccret · discert · discrett · discrret · discrte · disrcet
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "discret" and "discrète" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "discret" or "discrète"?
Remembering discret vs discrète
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “discret”; for a noun, it's “discrète”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “discret” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable