# digress vs distress

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### digress
*verb · IPA /daɪˈɡɹɛs/ · frequency rank #38,804*
To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.

### distress
*noun · IPA /dɪˈstɹɛs/ · frequency rank #7,675*
Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/digress-vs-distress