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discrepancy meaning and examples

2025-10-29

Meaning

Discrepancy means a difference or inconsistency between two or more things that should match or agree with each other.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun

  • Countability: Usually countable

  • Typical patterns:

    • a discrepancy between A and B — a mismatch between two things
    • a discrepancy in + noun — an inconsistency within something
    • Often used in business, science, and accounting contexts.

Examples:

  • There is a discrepancy between the two reports.
  • The discrepancy in the data should be clarified.

Common Phrases

  • a discrepancy between A and B
  • a discrepancy in data/accounts/records
  • find/report/resolve a discrepancy
  • accounting discrepancy

Collocations

Noun + discrepancy Verb + discrepancy Adjective + discrepancy
data discrepancy find a discrepancy minor discrepancy
price discrepancy explain a discrepancy large discrepancy
accounting discrepancy resolve a discrepancy significant discrepancy

Examples

  1. There is a discrepancy between the two sets of data.
  2. The accountant found a discrepancy in the company’s report.
  3. We must explain the discrepancy between what was promised and what was delivered.
  4. A minor discrepancy in measurements caused a major issue.
  5. The police discovered a discrepancy in the witness’s testimony.
  6. Please investigate any discrepancy between the invoice and the payment record.
  7. The discrepancy in the results suggests an error in calculation.
  8. The manager resolved the discrepancy before the audit.

difference, inconsistency, variation, divergence, mismatch, conflict, gap

Antonym

consistency, agreement, harmony, correspondence