discrepancy
n. C / Un. a difference between two things that should be the same. You use this when looking at numbers or stories that do not match up.
n. an illogical or unexpected lack of consistency between two or more facts, figures, or claims. Often implies an error or an omission that requires investigation.
There is a discrepancy between the two bank statements.
The accountant noticed a significant discrepancy between the physical inventory on the shelves and the digital records in the system.
While the witness claimed to be at home, the discrepancy between his testimony and the timestamped security footage led the investigators to question his entire alibi.
Borrowed from Latin discrepantia, from discrepans, from discrepō, from crepō. By surface analysis, discrepant + -cy. See also discrepant.
Often paired with the preposition 'between' to identify the conflicting items.
a discrepancy of the numbersa discrepancy between the numbersDiscrepancy usually takes 'between' to show the relationship between the two mismatched items.