# recess vs repress

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### recess
*noun · IPA /ɹɪˈsɛs/ · frequency rank #14,396*
A depressed, hollow, or indented space; also, a hole or opening.

### repress
*verb · IPA /ɹəˈpɹɛs/ · frequency rank #36,313*
To forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.

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