Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson [23]
differ, diverge. “There now seems some hope that these divergent views can be reconciled” (Daily Telegraph). Strictly speaking, that is unlikely. When two things diverge, they move farther apart (just as when they converge they come together). Diverge is not a word that should be applied freely to any difference of opinion, but only to those in which a rift is widening.
different. Often used unnecessarily, sometimes by the most careful writers: “This manifested itself in countless different ways” (Daniel J. Boorstin, Cleopatra’s Nose); “Just in this one small area can be found more than 250 different types of plants” (New York Times); “[He] published at least five different books on grammar” (Simon, Paradigms Lost). Frequently, as in each of these examples, it can be deleted without loss.
different from, to, than. Among the more tenacious beliefs among many writers and editors is that different may be followed only by from. At least since 1906, when the Fowler brothers raised the issue in The King’s English, authorities have pointed out that there is no real basis for this belief, but still it persists.
Different from is, to be sure, the usual form in most sentences and the only acceptable form in some, as when it precedes a noun or pronoun (“My car is different from his”; “Men are different from women”). But when different introduces a clause, there can be no valid objection to following it with a to (though this usage is chiefly British) or than, as in this sentence by John Maynard Keynes: “How different things appear in Washington than in London.” You may, if you insist, change it to “How different things appear in Washington from how they appear in London,” but all it gives you is more words, not better grammar.
dilemma. “The chief dilemma facing Mr. Greenspan is whether or not to raise interest rates” (Sunday Times). Dilemma does not mean just any difficulty or predicament. Strictly speaking, it applies only when someone is faced with two distinct courses of action, of which neither is obviously superior to the other. A few authorities (notably Fowler) accept its extension to contexts involving more than two alternatives, but even then the number of alternatives should be definite (and small) and the best course of action uncertain.
DiMaggio (no space) for the baseball players Joe and Dom.
diphtheria. Note that the first syllable is spelled diph-, not dipth-, and is pronounced accordingly.
disassemble, dissemble. “It would almost have been cheaper to dissemble the factory and move it to Wales” (Sunday Times). Actually, no. Unlike dissociate and disassociate, which mean the same thing, dissemble and disassemble have quite separate meanings. Dissemble means to conceal. If someone close to you dies, you may dissemble your grief with a smile. The word wanted in the example above was disassemble, which means to take apart.
disassociate, dissociate. The first is not incorrect, but the second has the virtue of brevity.
discernible. Not -able.
discomfit, discomfort. “In this she is greatly assisted by her husband . . . who enjoys spreading discomfiture in a good cause as much as she does” (Observer). The writer here, like many before him, clearly meant discomfort, which has nothing in common with discomfiture beyond a superficial resemblance. Discomfit means to rout, overwhelm, or completely disconcert. Some dictionaries now accept the newer sense of to perplex or induce uneasiness, but I would submit that the distinction is very much worth preserving. If discomfort is the condition you have in mind, why not use that word and leave discomfiture for less discriminating users?
discreet, discrete.