How Do You Spell DISSONANCE?

Pronunciation: [dˈɪsənəns] (IPA)

Dissonance is spelled with two "s" sounds, despite only having one "s" in its phonetic transcription /ˈdɪsənəns/. This is because the "ss" digraph is used when there are two consecutive "s" sounds within a word. The word itself refers to an unpleasant or jarring combination of sounds or ideas, often used in music theory to describe the occurrence of two or more notes that clash. Despite its negative connotations in music, dissonance can also create interest and tension in artistic compositions.

DISSONANCE Meaning and Definition

1. Dissonance refers to a state of conflict or inconsistency between two or more elements. It is often used to describe a discordant or unresolved combination of sounds, but it can also be applied to other forms of incongruity. In a musical context, dissonance represents a lack of harmony between notes or chords, creating a sense of tension and unease. This disharmony occurs when certain pitches clash or clash against a stable or expected harmonic structure, resulting in an unresolved or dissonant sound.

   Beyond music, dissonance is employed in various fields to describe the clash or inconsistency between ideas, beliefs, or attitudes. It reflects a condition of cognitive conflict, where individuals hold two conflicting beliefs or values simultaneously. This psychological dissonance often leads to discomfort or unease, as it challenges one's coherence and rationality.

   In social psychology, the term cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs, engaging in actions that contradict one's values, or encountering information that challenges existing beliefs. Individuals may experience dissonance when confronted with information that contradicts their preconceived notions or when their beliefs clash with their behaviors. This discomfort usually motivates people to reduce or resolve the dissonance by changing their beliefs, modifying their behavior, or seeking out additional information that supports their existing beliefs.

2. • Discord.

   • Discord; disagreement.

   Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.

Top Common Misspellings for DISSONANCE *

• disonance 56.25%
• dissoance 18.75%
• dissonace 12.5%

* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.

Other Common Misspellings for DISSONANCE

• disstance
• dissonence
• ressonance
• disonnance
• disonence
• dissinance
• dissonsance
• disconance
• Dissonency
• dissentiance
• Missinance
• disonanace
• disanance
• dissannce
• distenance
• dissenancy
• dissonaci
• dissonancey
• dissonense
• disonanse

Etymology of DISSONANCE

The word "dissonance" originated from the Latin term "dissonantia", which means "discord, disagreement, or inconsistency". It is derived from the Latin verb "dissonare", which combines "dis" (meaning "apart" or "away") and "sonare" (meaning "to sound"). "Sonare" itself is related to the Latin noun "sonus" meaning "sound". Over time, "dissonantia" was adopted into Old French as "desonance", and eventually entered the English language as "dissonance" with the same meaning.

Similar spelling words for DISSONANCE

• dismantlement,
• dissonant,
• Dishmon,
• dismantled,
• dismounted,
• dishman,
• dismount,
• dismantle,
• disunion.

Plural form of DISSONANCE is DISSONANCES