We consider discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations (DNLS) on the lattice hZ d whose linear part is determined by the discrete Laplacian which accounts only for nearest neighbor interactions, or by its fractional power. We show that in the continuum limit h → 0, solutions to DNLS converge strongly in L 2 to those to the corresponding continuum equations, but a precise rate of convergence is also calculated. In particular cases, this result improves weak convergence in Kirkpatrick, Lenzmann and Staffilani [17]. Our proof is based on a suitable adjustment of dispersive PDE techniques to a discrete setting. Notably, we employ uniform-in-h Strichartz estimates for discrete linear Schrödinger equations in [10], which quantitatively measure dispersive phenomena on the lattice. Our approach could be adapted to a more general setting like [17] as long as the desired Strichartz estimates are obtained.