discrepancy

American  

[dih-skrep-uhn-see] / dɪˈskrɛp ən si /

Also discrepance

noun

• discrepancies
  plural

1. the state or quality of being discrepant or in disagreement, as by displaying an unexpected or unacceptable difference; inconsistency.

   The discrepancy between the evidence and his account of what happened led to his arrest.

   Synonyms:

   variance, contrariety, discordance, disagreement, incongruity

2. an instance of difference or inconsistency.

   There are certain discrepancies between the two versions of the story.

   Synonyms:

   variation

---

discrepancy British  

/ dɪˈskrɛpənsɪ /

noun

1. a conflict or variation, as between facts, figures, or claims

---

Usage

Discrepancy is sometimes wrongly used where disparity is meant. A discrepancy exists between things which ought to be the same; it can be small but is usually significant. A disparity is a large difference between measurable things such as age, rank, or wages

Synonym Usage

See difference.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• discrepancies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of discrepancy

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin discrepantia, from discrepant- (stem of discrepāns “sounding discordant”; see discrepant) + -ia -y ³ ( def. )

Explanation

A discrepancy is a lack of agreement or balance. If there is a discrepancy between the money you earned and the number on your paycheck, you should complain to your boss. There is a discrepancy when there is a difference between two things that should be alike. For example, there can be a wide discrepancy or a slight discrepancy between two objects, stories, or facts. The noun discrepancy is from Latin discrepare "to sound differently," from the prefix dis- "from" plus crepare "to rattle, creak."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discrepancy discrepancies

That discrepancy is mainly because of a poor run in the middle of his first stint as skipper.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

That’s the third-largest discrepancy in the big leagues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

“The discrepancy between the honorable conduct expected of federal prosecutors and DOJ’s tactics in this case is unsettling,” McElroy wrote.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

That will eliminate some of the unusual discrepancy that has opened up between the PCE rate and the better-known consumer-price index.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

When basketball season began, there was an inexplicable discrepancy between the number of ten-cent tickets sold and the considerably larger number of kids in the bleachers.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

But this online data also shows discrepancies, with a gap of 20,000 between the lowest and highest estimates of missing people.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Property, the largest concentration of global wealth, is overvalued by up to 50%, using price-to-affordability metrics, although there are significant locational discrepancies.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

God forbid that comes true, but if it does, this record is proof that Madonna is her discrepancies: She is this, and she is also that.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

According to the researchers, the discrepancies were even larger in some locations.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

But Ptolemy and his followers had assumed that measurements could be regarded as approximations: in practice, there were bound to be minor discrepancies between theoretical predictions and actual measurements.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• difference
• disparity
• distinction
• divergence
• error
• inconsistency
• miscalculation
• variation