discrepancy
a difference or inconsistency
Roots
- crep: rattle, crack, or sound out of agreement
- dis- / dif-: apart, away, not, reversal, or disruption
A discrepancy is where facts do not sound or line up together.
The discrepancy between the two reports changed the investigation.
Discrepancy began near things sounding apart or not agreeing. In modern use, the sound can disappear; what remains is a gap between claims, numbers, accounts, or evidence.