Which to use
“regression” and “repression” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,043
- “regression” frequency rank
- #14,825
- “repression” frequency rank
- 29868
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | regression | repression |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An action of regressing, a return to a previous state. | The act of repressing; state of being repressed. |
Letter map: regression vs repression
Shared letters muted; letters that set regression and repression apart highlighted. Shared run: 9.
Pair insight - regression / repression
regression 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 a single letter - g in “regression” becomes p in “repression”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29868, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
regression is recorded at frequency rank #15,043, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/. 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 29868, this pair ranks #359,370 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of regression vs repression
Shared letters: einors. Private to "regression": g. Private to "repression": p.
"regression" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC · "repression" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- regression ← ergression · regerssion · reggression · regresion · regresison · regressino · regressionn · regressoin
- repression ← erpression · reperssion · reppression · represion · represison · repressino · repressionn · repressoin
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "regression" for "repression" ever safe?
Frequency check: "regression" vs "repression" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
You've compared "regression" and "repression". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "regression" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "repression" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #359,370 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "regression" and "repression" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regression vs regressive". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #359,370 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.