depressed

/dɪˈpɹɛst/

//dɪˈpɹɛst// verb

"depressed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“depressed” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,672 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,672
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - simple past and past participle of depress

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

depressed vs dressed
78% similar
depressed vs depress
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for depressed
PropertyValue
Headworddepressed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈpɹɛst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,672
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “depressed” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). depressed lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for depressed is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈpɹɛst/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,672 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "simple past and past participle of depress".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for depressed, with forms such as "ddepressed", "deperssed", and "deppressed". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "dressed", "depress", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. The correct English form is depressed, spelled D-E-P-R-E-S-S-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of depress

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddepressed,deperssed,deppressed,depresed,depresesd,depressde,depressedd,deprressed,deprsesed,derpessed,dperessed,edpressed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of depressed - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddepressed1deperssed2deppressed1depresed1depresesd2depressde2depressedd1deprressed1
Edit distance from "depressed"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "depressed"?
"depressed" is spelled D-E-P-R-E-S-S-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpɹɛst/.
What does "depressed" mean?
As a verb, "depressed" means: simple past and past participle of depress
What words are commonly confused with "depressed"?
"depressed" is commonly confused with "dressed", "depress". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "depressed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "depressed" is /dɪˈpɹɛst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "depressed"?
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “depressed”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-P-R-E-S-S-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪˈpɹɛst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dressed” - see the side-by-side comparison. depressed vs dressed
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list