Discern and Know

Discern

Discern verb - To understand or point out the difference in.
Usage example: too young to discern between right and wrong

Know is a synonym for discern in notice topic. In some cases you can use "Know" instead a verb "Discern", when it comes to topics like same, knowledge, understand, catch sight of. popular alternative

Know

Know verb - To have a clear idea of.
Usage example: I think I know what you're trying to say

Discern is a synonym for know in recognize topic. You can use "Discern" instead a verb "Know", if it concerns topics such as understand, notice, same, knowledge. popular alternative

Nearby Words: knowing, known

Common collocations

girl discern girl know girl
thanks discern thanks know thanks
truth discern truth know truth
name discern name know name
Other words: time, identity, location, language, difference, meaning, details, history, song, gender, secrets.

Both words in one sentence

  • Film / The Invisible Maniac The attentive viewer should be able to discern everything one needs to know about her character just from this.
  • He has effectively fooled both sides of the war, making his true allegiance impossible to discern because anything he's said could have been a lie and they don't trust themselves to know it.
  • Video Game / Wolfenstein: The New Order Bilingual Bonus: Those who know German can discern much from the posters.
Cite this Source
Know and Discern. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discern/know
Discern & Know. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discern/know>.
Know or Discern. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discern/know.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discern" and "know" have occurred on timeline