# regress vs repress

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### regress
*noun · IPA /ˈɹiːˌɡɹɛs/ · frequency rank #45,622*
The act of passing back; passage back; return; retrogression.

### 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/regress-vs-repress