Which to use
“recession” and “repression” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,977
- “recession” frequency rank
- #14,825
- “repression” frequency rank
- 23802
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recession | repression |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act or an instance of receding or withdrawing. | The act of repressing; state of being repressed. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set recession and repression apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
recession and repression are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23802, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recession is recorded at frequency rank #8,977, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈsɛʃn̩/. repression is at rank #14,825, tagged as anoun.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 23802, this pair ranks #406,650 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of recession vs repression
Shared letters: einors. Private to "recession": c. Private to "repression": p.
"recession" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "repression" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- recession ← ercession · rceession · reccession · recesion · recesison · recessino · recessionn · recessoin
- repression ← erpression · reperssion · reppression · represion · represison · repressino · repressionn · repressoin
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "recession" and "repression" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "recession" or "repression"?
Remembering recession vs repression
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “recession” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable