# The last three books I read used discrete instead of discreet **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243 "2014-05-25T19:54:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/21 "2014-05-26T00:35:07Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > YMMV but why make English harder than necessary? Pedantic points may be fun in school, but the real world has to use English to conduct business and earn a living. There are two separate (or discrete ;)) issues here: 1. Living languages do inevitably change over time, usually in the direction of conflating elements that were originally separate or accepting as standard usages that used to be universally rejected as errors. Consequently, _“correcting a mistake” -\> “pedantic nitpicking” -\> “obsolete distinction”_ is a very common trajectory as standard forms of language change. And yes, insisting on different spellings of “discreet” and “discrete” may very well go that route someday. 1. That doesn’t mean that correcting variant usages that are still considered mistakes in the current standard written form of the language is a bad thing to do. Most mistakes in written English don’t actually make it clearer or easier to read for current users of the language, so why should we feel obliged to accept them as permissible variants? As for “conducting business and earning a living”, it seems pretty clear that giving business free rein to construct its own English idiom without worrying about “pedantic points” of grammar and syntax hasn’t been very successful at making English easier to deal with. In fact, “businessese” or “corporate jargon” is notorious for producing a great deal of the most clumsy, obscure, pretentious, unreadable writing to be found in the English-speaking world today. ([Gobbledygook generator.](http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/gobbledygook-generator.html)) Maybe if we paid a little more attention to “pedantic points” of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, etc., we wouldn’t get so much tedious gibberish pervading the places where we’re trying to conduct business. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/22 "2014-05-26T00:53:57Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Just be glad it only happens occasionally and not continuously Well done. For those worried about grammar, let me console you: there, their, they’re. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/23 "2014-05-26T00:58:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Homonyms are a PITA. We’re stuck with most of them. Discrete/ Discreet are an example where I could see an argument to combine them in the new dictionaries. For me the difference in those words spelling is regional like mold/mould. YMMV but why make English harder than necessary? Pedantic points may be fun in school, but the real world has to use English to conduct business and earn a living. Did you know they were different words with starkly different meanings? ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/24 "2014-05-26T02:43:45Z")
Meh. I recently read a book that used “palatable” instead of “palpable”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/25 "2014-05-26T02:56:23Z")
Yes, I’m aware of that. That makes it an excellent candidate for a homophone. The meaning can easily be gleaned from the context of the sentence. There’s no confusion with the word lie. If a character in a story is called a _dirty lying bastard_, no one will think the character is unshaven and watching tv in his favorite La-Z-Boy recliner. The word has two entirely different meanings and it’s a rather satisfying solution to misspelled homonyms. Sue went to the store, fell down, and fractured her leg. Sue sued the store for a million dollars. 😃 The meaning of the word sue in those two contexts is quite clear. This thread has reminded me about discrete/discreet and I’ll make a point to choose the correct one in the future. > [@bldysabba](#): > > Did you know they were different words with starkly different meanings? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/26 "2014-05-26T03:06:33Z")
**Correction** , homonyms are words that are spelled the same and different meanings. Homophone is usually spelled differently. I always did get those two mixed up in school. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/27 "2014-05-26T03:58:12Z")
Americans use “alternate” in a way that grinds my gears (unnecessarily replacing “alternative”). But it’s a losing battle, especially since it could be convincingly argued that I’m the one in the wrong. I think the “discrete” “discreet” distinction is also one of those losing battle situations. I know there’s a difference, but remembering which is which is the part that messes me up. I also get confused with “defence” and “defense,” as well as “practice” and “practise.” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/28 "2014-05-26T04:02:55Z")
My mnemonic device is that discrete has the "e"s separated (ie they’re discrete). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/29 "2014-05-26T04:27:56Z")
It’s only a matter of time before “discrete” literally means “discreet”. Or is it figuratively? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/30 "2014-05-26T04:29:20Z")
I also suspect that the error is due to a lack of familiarity with the discreet spelling and I must admit, as laissez-faire as I tend to be about spelling, I have a hard time not thinking less of people who misuse discrete and discreet but I work on it. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/31 "2014-05-26T04:51:02Z")
The spelling quirk that drives me crazy is when people use the word “worse” instead of “worst”. E.g. “This is the worse trip I’ve ever been on.” I swear, I never saw anyone write that when I was a kid and now I see it regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/32 "2014-05-26T05:24:55Z")
^Yes, I’ve been seeing that one a LOT lately. “The worse thing about this movie was the guy who played the mayor.” ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/33 "2014-05-26T05:36:42Z")
With kids growing up using all kinds of abbreviations and neologisms for texting, I think “proper” spelling is doomed. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/34 "2014-05-26T07:25:11Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > In a nutshell, I don’t think editors exist any more. Books go directly from the author’s copy of Word to press. So we get alot… [Gah!](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/35 "2014-05-26T10:50:00Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The spelling quirk that drives me crazy is when people use the word “worse” instead of “worst”. E.g. “This is the worse trip I’ve ever been on.” I swear, I never saw anyone write that when I was a kid and now I see it regularly. I think it’s because the “t” in “worst” is almost dropped in pronunciation if you say it lazily. I often say the same thing with words that end in “-ed” losing those two letters. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/36 "2014-05-26T10:55:30Z")
\*see the same thing… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/37 "2014-05-26T14:01:36Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > [Gah!](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html) Whoosh, perhaps… ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/38 "2014-05-26T15:59:21Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > With kids growing up using all kinds of abbreviations and neologisms for texting, I think “proper” spelling is doomed. IOU as an abbreviation dates back to the 1600s. LOL, BRB and AFK are not aberrations but part of a long tradition. And remember, language and writing are for communication. If it impedes communication it will be dropped or modified until it is not an obstacle. If people are communicating in a format that you don’t understand, it is you who are lacking, not them. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/39 "2014-05-26T20:17:35Z")
You’re on the wrong tact. And don’t get me started on duck tape. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243/40 "2014-05-26T20:17:39Z")
I’ve always known that the two words have unrelated meanings, but it was only a few years ago that I learned (from this board, of course) that they have different spellings. If I had ever noticed that both “discrete” and “discreet” make it through the spellchecker, I would have just assumed that one was an alternate spelling. The one that really drives me mad, though, is “capital” vs. “capitol”. If I ask you verbally what you call the place where the legislature meets, there’s no problem, because they’re pronounced the same way. But if I ask in writing, you won’t know how to spell your answer unless you know what I mean by “place”: The city or the building? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-three-books-i-read-used-discrete-instead-of-discreet/689243.md?page=3)