DISCRETE VS. DISCREET

Is there a difference between the words Discrete & Discreet? They look the same, sound the same and have the same letters. I don’t think this will be a question that’s asked often. I only happened to chance upon the word discrete as I was reading an article with the word discrete in it in relation to learning to read. I thought it didn’t “fit”, so I looked it up. When I did, this is what I found:

USAGE The words discrete and discreet are pronounced in the same way and share the same origin but they do not mean the same. Discrete means ‘separate, distinct’ (: a finite number of discrete categories), while discreet means careful, judicious, circumspect ( you can rely on him to be discreet ).

Main Entry: dis·crete

Pronunciation: \dis-ˈkrēt, ˈdis-ˌ\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin discretus

Date: 14th century

1 : individually distinct
2 a : consisting of distinct or unconnected elements

— dis·crete·ly adverb

— dis·crete·ness noun

Main Entry: dis·creet

Pronunciation: \di-ˈskrēt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French discret, from Medieval Latin discretus, from Latin, past participle of discernere to separate, distinguish between

Date: 14th century

1 : having or showing discernment or good judgment in conduct and especially in speech

— dis·creet·ly adverb

— dis·creet·ness noun

* Not that many will be asking, but here’s the answer if someone does.*