You’ve seen it spelled both ways, disc and disk. Which one is correct? Are they pronounced the same way? Do they have different meanings? Apple knows:
They’re pronounced the same, but, technically speaking, there is a distinct difference between a disc and a disk.
So, what is a disc?
A disc refers to optical media, such as an audio CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, or DVD-Video disc… All discs are removable, meaning when you unmount or eject the disc from your desktop or Finder, it physically comes out of your computer.
How does that differ from disk?
A disk refers to magnetic media, such as a floppy disk, the disk in your computer’s hard drive, an external hard drive… Disks are usually sealed inside a metal or plastic casing (often, a disk and its enclosing mechanism are collectively known as a “hard drive”).
Apple delivers a little more clarity in a confused and complex world.
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