discreets

Discreets is not a standard word in English. It is sometimes encountered as a nonstandard plural form of the adjective discreet, but adjectives do not normally take plurals in English. In ordinary writing, discreets should be avoided; instead, writers refer to discreet individuals or acts of discretion. The form may appear in stylized branding, creative writing, or as a proper noun in titles or names, where it is capitalized and treated as a name rather than as a regular plural.

Discreet and discrete are commonly confused because of their similar spellings. Discreet means careful, prudent, or restrained in behavior or speech, often with an aim of privacy or avoiding attention. Discrete means separate, distinct, or unrelated, and is used in contexts such as mathematics, science, or discussions of separate components. The two words have different senses and are not interchangeable, a distinction that is frequently muddled in informal writing, potentially contributing to nonstandard uses like discreets.

Origin and usage notes: The adjective discreet derives from Old French discret and Latin discreetus, meaning separated or prudent. The standard noun form for the quality is discretion, not discreetness, and discretion is commonly used to denote the power or right to keep information confidential or to exercise prudent judgment. Users should be mindful of the common confusion with discrete, and reserve discreets for rare or branded contexts where it functions as a proper noun rather than a regular plural.