Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaLecturasEjercicios de listeningFlash cardsFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogDiscretevsDiscreet
"Discrete" = separate, distinct, independent; "discreet" = careful and prudent, not revealing private information.
Side-by-side comparison
"Discrete" means separate, distinct, and independent. "Discrete" objects or concepts are units that do not blend or overlap.
The course covers discrete mathematics, including graph theory and combinatorics.
The factory divides production into discrete stages, each handled by a different team.
In linguistics, phonemes are treated as discrete units that combine to form words.
"Discreet" means careful and tactful in what you say or do. A discreet person does not share confidential information.
She was discreet about her salary, she never discussed it with her coworkers.
He made a discreet inquiry about job openings without alerting his current employer.
The investigation was handled in a discreet manner to avoid alarming the public before all the facts were known.
Common mistake
- •"Discrete data" in mathematics has nothing to do with being quiet or careful.
- •And "please be discrete" when asking for confidentiality is wrong: the correct word is "please be discreet".
- •Context decides: mathematics = "discrete"; social behavior or secrecy = "discreet".
Trick to remember it
- •Visual: "discRETE" has the two E's separated by the T (discre-T-e), like separate, distinct parts.
- •"discrEET" has the two E's joined at the end, like a well-kept secret with no gaps.
Quick rule
- •"Discrete" (E-T-E) = separate, distinct, discrete mathematics.
- •"Discreet" (EET) = careful, prudent, keeping secrets.
Did you know?
Both words come from the same Latin "discretus" (past participle of "discernere" = to discern, to separate). In the 14th century they had the same meaning: "separate, distinct." Over time, "discreet" evolved toward "prudent, careful" while "discrete" kept the original meaning of "separate." Today they have such different meanings that mixing them is a noticeable error in professional writing.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Please be _____ about this. I don't want anyone else to know.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The survey has four _____ categories: never, sometimes, often, and always.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Assure' means to tell someone with confidence that something is true; 'ensure' means to take steps to make certain something happens.
'Precede' means to come before something in time or order; 'proceed' means to continue forward or carry on with something.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy