Epäsuhta

Epäsuhta is a Finnish noun meaning a mismatch, incongruity, or disparity between two related elements. It denotes a lack of alignment or proportionality, such as when data do not support an interpretation, a plan does not match its outcome, or components of a system fail to balance with one another. The concept is used in everyday language as well as in academic and professional contexts to describe imbalance, inconsistency, or non-coherence.

In everyday speech, epäsuhta can refer to practical misfits or contradictions between what is promised and what is delivered, or between expectations and reality. In analysis and criticism, the term helps to point to gaps between claims and evidence, or between form and function in design or media representations. In research and statistics, it may describe disparity between observed results and theoretical predictions, or between different measures of the same phenomenon.

The word is of Finnish origin, formed with the negating prefix epä- attached to a root related to relation, proportion, or balance. It is closely related in meaning to words such as epäjohdonmukaisuus or epäsuhta in phrasing, and is commonly understood in formal and informal Finnish alike.

Epäsuhta is used across disciplines to signal a lack of correspondence or proportionality, and it often implies the need to reassess assumptions, methods, or interpretations in light of the observed mismatch.