What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk"? (2023)

> In most varieties of English, disk is the preferred spelling for magnetic media (hence floppy disk, hard disk, disk drive), whereas disc is preferred for optical media (hence compact disc, digital versatile disc, optical disc).

> For all other uses, disk is preferred in American English and acceptable in Canadian English, and disc otherwise.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disk#Usage_notes

The term "disc" for storage predates optical media. "Disc" was the common spelling for a disk (like a floppy disk) on British 8-bit computers like Amstrad CPC or Sinclair Spectrum.[1][2]

It seems like the distinction simply comes from British and American preferences.[3]

I have no idea how Apple jumped to such an arbitrary conclusion.

[1] Kempston Disc Interface manual: https://k1.spdns.de/Vintage/Sinclair/82/Peripherals/Disc%20I...

[2] Amstrad Disc Drive Interface manual: https://www.cpcwiki.eu/imgs/3/3f/DDI-1_User_Manual.pdf

[3] Etymonline entry for "disk": https://www.etymonline.com/word/disk

This is goofy. The difference was originally regional (US/UK), and which caught on depended on which product dominated which sub-market. There's no semantic difference.

And where is the "drive" in an SSD?

Trying to explain arbitrary words with logic always fails.

There was a subculture communicating on FIDOnet about collecting AOL installation media (3.5" disks) and reusing them. Somehow we ended up coining the term "bisk" to refer to AOL's given-away media, and much sadness was had when they moved to CDs.

So add one more to the list: a commercial disk reused for your custom .WAD files can be a bisk.

Tron, if I remember correctly, had DISCS instead of DISKS. And if modern CPUs are RISCy, then maybe modern Intel architecture CPUs are Risky.

The last letter.

[Did I pass the interview? No? Understandable.]

A disc looks like a disc, and a disk doesn't look like a disc.

Always thought that “disc” was the original word for an object of a certain shape. As they evolved for computer storage, we got smaller diskettes… which were abbreviated to disks.

  sceptic - skeptic
  mollusc - mollusk
  celt - kelt
  cabob - kabob
  disc - disk

Corporate wants you to find the difference.

As a quick and dirty heuristic: the C in disc is for CD (or other optical media).

Apple, the etymology company.

So a floppy disk has a disc inside?

Disc = round part visible

Disk = round part hidden or no round part

Have I got it!?

A disk is any planar circular shape.

A disc is a disk-shaped object, such as in the form of a plastic dingus: Frisbee flying disc.

Presumably this apple page is someone's idea of an April fool, date notwithstanding.

"Disc" is the correct spelling of the flat circular thing.

"Disk" was invented by someone in the 1980s either as an attempt at a trade name, or because they couldn't spell.

Then other people continued the mis spelling.

Does anyone have a spate tire? My tyre popped, probably because someone jammed a 'y' in the middle.

When I was much more active in Reddit did one time a meme for r/peloton of Froome yelling at disc brakes - but wrote it as "Old man yells at disk brakes".

Nobody told me anything so I guessed it was good grammar and such.

But then noticed everyone calls them "disc brakes"

What about bloc vs block

"Disks" as in floppy disks, are removable also. Some weird seperation choices in this 'article'.

Kinda surprising that the article doesn't mention the actual origin of the words:

"Disc" comes from "discus" (the plate thrown in the Olympics)

"Disk" comes from "diskette" (French for "small disc")

I probably just outed myself as a boomer assuming that was common knowledge.