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 discrepancy arises from the notoriously byzantine nature of New York City’s property tax system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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

But after hard work over the weekend Russell made significant inroads into that issue, and Mercedes admitted they were still seeing a straight-line discrepancy that they could not yet explain.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Davidson’s Gil Luria highlighted the valuation discrepancy between stocks that trade in the U.S. and those solely listed on exchanges elsewhere.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 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

On the issue of seeming discrepancies in claims for travel and hotel accommodation by the MP, Walker said he had received "detailed information" that led him to conclude they were due to "dating errors".

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Journal identified more than a dozen discrepancies between the real Polymarket and the simulated sites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

But they were mostly quirks, discrepancies, most of them so minor that it will perhaps show you how little reason I had to imagine that anything was wrong.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

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