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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

discern

/dɪˈsɝn/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does discern mean?

verb

  1. To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.
  2. To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
  3. To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate.
More meanings (1)

verb

  1. To perceive differences.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/dɪˈsɝn/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/dɪˈzɝn/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

We can discern this kind of dwelling-house in many of the descriptions we have given of the ruins in the preceding chapter.
Emory Adams AllenThe Prehistoric World; Or, Vanished RacesProject Gutenberg ebook #2873
My ignorance will better excuse me in that I understand not Greek so well as to discern the beauty of his language.
Michel de MontaigneEssays of Michel de Montaigne — CompleteTranslated by Charles CottonProject Gutenberg ebook #3600
More book examples (3)
Immediate blindness occurred, or the dog could apparently just discern the difference between light and darkness, but could not distinguish particular objects.
William YouattThe DogProject Gutenberg ebook #9478
He ascended a hill and could just discern ahead of him a waggon, drawn up under a great overhanging tree by the roadside.
Thomas HardyFar from the Madding CrowdProject Gutenberg ebook #27
He calls me e’en now, my lord, through a red lattice, and I could discern no part of his face from the window.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100