The tutor enjoys homophones (and homonyms).  Here’s a great pair.

I’ve written more than one post about the closely related terms homophone and homonym.  (See here and here.)

Today I’ll highlight a pair of words that qualify as both homophones and homonyms: discreet and discrete.

Discreet means, from my point of view, keeping things unknown that shouldn’t be known, or keeping things unseen that shouldn’t be seen. So if a person is discreet, they will keep a secret. A discreet outfit is one that doesn’t overly show the goods. My Oxford Canadian Dictionary agrees with my sense of the word.

Discrete, on the other hand, means separate and self-contained, I’d say. Oxford Canadian might do a little better, defining discrete as “individual and distinct.” In my post from yesterday I describe molecules as separate and self-contained; discrete would be an even better description.

So there we have them: discreet and discrete. I don’t think you’ll find a better example of homophones, or of homonyms, than those two words:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.