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Which word shares the same Latin root meaning "to creak, rattle, or crack," with discrepancy?

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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

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discrepancy British  

/ dɪˈskrɛpənsɪ /

noun

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

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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

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment about the discrepancy.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

"We realized that the discrepancy between modern computational data and textbooks was larger than we had anticipated."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

Employment experts say that part of that discrepancy may be due to the personal touch a real person can add to their resume that AI just can’t provide on its own.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

That could mean that one problematic ballot in a mailing of 10,000 prevents the other 9,999 from being sent until the discrepancy is resolved and the batch checked again.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

I was struck most forcefully by the discrepancy between my old assumptions and my actual experience.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Discussion of those and other discrepancies have been around for a long time.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 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

A Labour MP has been cleared of breaching Parliament's expenses rules after an investigation into apparent discrepancies over accommodation and travel found he was "careful with spending public money".

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

They exploited understandable discrepancies between the bulletins and the individual in the courtroom—was there proof that this Benjamin Jones was the Benjamin Jones in question?

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

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