Match Wits With Our Word Wizards
(Text-only version of Word Wizards)
Discrete or Discreet?
Pick the correct homophone (a word that is pronounced like another word
but differs in spelling and meaning) to use in each sentence:
- There were a discrete/discreet
number of possible answers to the problem.
- She handled the matter discretely/discreetly.
- These phenomena appear to occur discretely/discreetly.
(They appear to occur separately and to be unrelated to each other.)
- Pretending to be interested in the store displays, the CIA operative followed the
suspected spy at a discrete/discreet distance.
- These harmonic vibrations occur at discrete/discreet
intervals, rather than over a continuous range of values.
- It was necessary for the system to bypass the flight computers and control
discrete/discreet
loads directly via command uplink.
- Heads bowed, the mourners filed by the casket in
discrete/discreet silence.
For an explanation of discrete and discreet, see Quirks of English.
[Privacy
Policy and Important Notices]
Responsible NASA Official: Natalie L. Henrich,
Glenn Technical Publications Manager
Web Curator: Caroline A. Rist
(Wyle)
Last updated: 4/22/2011
