discover and hear share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. discover means “discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of”. hear means “perceive (sound) via the auditory sense”. hear is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈskʌvɚ/
1.v.discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
“She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water”
2.v.get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
“I learned that she has two grown-up children”
3.v.make a discovery, make a new finding
“Roentgen discovered X-rays”
/ˈhiɹ/
1.v.perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
2.v.get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
“I learned that she has two grown-up children”
3.v.examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process
“The jury had heard all the evidence”
| discover | hear | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈskʌvɚ/ | /ˈhiɹ/ |
| Said | di-SKUHV-ur | heer |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 8 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb | verb |
| Senses | 8 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | detect, observe, find | none recorded |
Full entry for discover · Full entry for hear · More comparisons