The words decent, descent, and dissent may sound similar, but their spellings and meanings are definitely different from each other. 

Decent is an adjective, a modifier of a noun.  It means “adequate” or “conforming to standards of propriety and morality.”  Note that in regard to pronunciation, the stress is placed on the first syllable.

Ex:  Cory is in decent shape to run the marathon next week.

Ex:  I believe I am a decent, upstanding citizen.

Descent is a noun.  It denotes “the action of descending” or “a downward slope.”  It can also denote family ancestry.  This word is pronounced with the stress being placed on the second syllable.

Ex:  The airplane began its descent from 24,000 feet, and the passengers were excited to be landing in Hawaii.

Ex:  My grandfather is of Italian descent.

Dissent can be used as either a noun or a verb.  As a noun, it means “disagreement.”  As an intransitive verb, it means “to disagree or to deny approval.”  This word is pronounced with the stress being placed on the second syllable.

Ex:  The judge expressed his dissent emphatically.  (Used as a noun)

Ex:  When Tara got her first tattoo, her mother strongly dissented.  (Used as a verb)

Along with our website, we recommend the following site:  Word Files for Word Philes.  Visitors to this site can browse the alphabetically organized list of commonly confused words and word groups.

Test your understanding by choosing the correct word in each of the following sentences.

1.  Juli was injured during her rapid (decent/descent/dissent) down the side of the mountain, but she continued to enjoy her skiing vacation.

2.  (Decent/Descent/Dissent) among the Supreme Court Justices created a delay in the delivery of the verdict.

3.  It has been several days since I’ve had a (decent/descent/dissent) meal.

4.  Cynthia proceeded to (decent/descent/dissent) after her brother brought home a stray puppy.                                    

5.  Since her grandparents are of German (decent/descent/dissent), she is very familiar with the history of the Weimar Republic.

Answers

1.  Juli was injured during her rapid descent down the side of the mountain, but she continued to enjoy her skiing vacation.

2.  Dissent among the Supreme Court Justices created a delay in the delivery of the verdict.

3.  It has been several days since I’ve had a decent meal.

4.  Cynthia proceeded to dissent after her brother brought home a stray puppy.                           

5.  Since her grandparents are of German descent, she is very familiar with the history of the Weimar Republic.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe/View Archive