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If you’ve ever mixed up the words descry and decry, you’re not alone; even carefully edited publications occasionally mistake the former (“to catch sight of” or “to discover”) for the latter (“to express strong disapproval of”), as in “the watchdog group’s report descried (oops: decried) environmental pollution by manufacturers in the harshest terms.” As always, we’re here to help you descry handy ways to tell confusing words apart. In the case of descry and decry, pronunciation is key—the s in descry is not silent. Descry sounds just like the English verb describe without its closing b, and the two share a Latin root as well, the verb dēscrībere, meaning “to represent by drawing or speech.” When you descry something, it becomes known to you either by discovery or understanding, as though it were well-described. Decry, on the other hand, emphasizes cry when spoken, and shares roots with cry as well: when you decry something, you might be said to cry loudly your complaint.
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“Descry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descry. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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