Discreet or discrete: which is correct?
Correct
discreet (tactful, careful) / discrete (separate, distinct)
Avoid
discrete (for "tactful")
Avoid
discreet (for "separate")
Summary
Correct: discreet (tactful, careful) / discrete (separate, distinct) — Avoid: discrete (for "tactful") / discreet (for "separate"). Discreet = careful not to attract attention or cause offence; discrete = individually separate and distinct.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Source
- Oxford
Why
Oxford: discreet means careful and circumspect; discrete means separate. Both come from Latin discretus, but the spellings split centuries ago — in discrete the two e's are kept apart by the t, a handy reminder of "separate".
Examples
- Please be discreet about the merger.
- The course is divided into four discrete modules.
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