Sorry to shout, but DISCRETE is a totally different word to DISCREET!

[IHeartKingThistle]

I know there are more important things going on in the world, but please let me just say this! I've lost count of the number of times I have seen posters here write 'discrete' when they mean 'discreet'.

'Discreet' means careful, quiet, intentionally unobtrusive, like 'breastfeeding discreetly'.
'Discrete' means separate, detached, individually distinct, like 'The textbook is organised into six discrete chapters'.

I figure not everybody knows this so I am just passing the information on - thanks for letting me!

Like it - thanks!

I'm not keen on seeing this either.

Hopefully your concreet example will help it stick in peoples' minds.

You do know that people who make this mistake have Pedants' Corner hidden as they just don't care?

This thread has happened before, it will happen again. Lose/lose, etc/ect, wander/wonder, advise/advice and on and on and on and on ad infinitum. Nobody will learn. Every time somebody types discrete breastfeeding a pedant dies. True story.

Can we disavow pedanticism then Showy as a self preservation technique?

Ooh this gives me a chance to show off my new way of remembering which is which. 'Crete' is an island, detached from the mainland.

Um, that's it.

Nice!

double hurrah here too. Most times people want to say discreet, so you would reckon the correct spelling would be 50/50 but I reckon it gets spelt discrete at least 90 percent of the time (and breathe)

Aha! I knew this! I learned it last week

That's what I find weird interregnum!

One thing I am loving about being back in academia and specifically in the world of education (I am an aged trainee teacher) is that the word discrete appears frequently in the literature that we are required to read. Used correctly, of course.

I am going to open a word document and save these and write them out a million few times because I didn't know there was a difference and I should have know. carefully avoids the use of "should of"

known agggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh bugger!

Yay! I've educated today!

(Well, I've also taught 4 lessons but I suspect blackeyedsusan has taken more on board than any of my real students )

I never knew this. Have never really thought about it TBH. I don't know if I knew teh discrete form existed.

Another one you have educated today :)

Discrete is a totally different word from discrete :)

repeats... different FROM..
different from different from
different from different from
different from different from
different from different from
different from different from....

(lesson number 2!)

Argh, I know! I saw it as soon as I read the thread back; I was really hoping that no-one would notice .

But I AM in Pedant's Corner - serves me right!

But your discretes are the same prism!

Touche

Doh!

I never knew that - thank you. I might not remember it tomorrow though. I hope I do, but I don't use the "discrete" version enough to necessarily remember.