depression

/dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩/

//dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"depression" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“depression” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,670. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,670
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future; any of several mental disorders with this state of mind as a central feature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-depression · depression · English

depression · rank #2,670 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,670
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH depending

Nearest frequency peer: depending (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “depression”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “depression” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

depression vs depressive
80% similar
depression vs depressing
80% similar

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

Key facts for depression
PropertyValue
Headworddepression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,670
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “depression”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).depressionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “depending” (#2,669), “describe” (#2,671), “defined” (#2,668). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “depression” is #2,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around depression (IPA /dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,670 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for depression, with forms such as "ddepression", "deperssion", and "deppression". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "depressive", "depressing", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English depression, depressioun, from Old French depression, from Latin dēpressiō. Equivalent to depress + -ion. The correct English form is depression, spelled D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future; any of several mental disorders with this state of mind as a central feature.
  2. 2
    A period of low morale or unhappiness (a period of experiencing the above-mentioned state of mind) which lasts longer than several weeks and may include ideation of self-inflicted injury or suicide.
  3. 3
    An area that is lower in topography than its surroundings.
  4. 4
    An area of lowered air pressure that generally brings moist weather, sometimes promoting hurricanes and tornadoes.
  5. 5
    A period of major economic contraction.
  6. 6
    A period of major economic contraction.
  7. 7
    The act of lowering or pressing something down.
  8. 8
    A lowering, in particular a reduction in a particular biological variable or the function of an organ, in contrast to elevation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how depression appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I used to suffer from depression, but now I'm mostly content with my life.
  2. It is that Mr. Levi's death could not be dissociated from the major depression with which he was afflicted, and that indeed his suicide proceeded directly from that illness.

Etymology

From Middle English depression, depressioun, from Old French depression, from Latin dēpressiō. Equivalent to depress + -ion.

This word in other languages

depresión(Español)dépression(Français)Depression(Deutsch)depressão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddepression
  • deperssion
  • deppression
  • depresion
  • depresison
  • depressino
  • depressionn
  • depressoin
  • deprestion
  • deprression
  • deprsesion
  • derpession
  • dperession
  • edpression

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of depression - 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.

ddepression1deperssion2deppression1depresion1depresison2depressino2depressionn1depressoin2
Edit distance from "depression"

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 "depression"?
"depression" is spelled D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩/.
What does "depression" mean?
As a noun, "depression" means: A state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future; any of several mental disorders with this state of mind as a central feature.
What words are commonly confused with "depression"?
"depression" is commonly confused with "depressive", "depressing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "depression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "depression" is /dɪˈpɹɛʃn̩/. 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 "depression"?
From Middle English depression, depressioun, from Old French depression, from Latin dēpressiō. Equivalent to depress + -ion. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "depression", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

employment#2,674frequently#2,678basketball#2,657importance#2,683

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

depending14 variantspersonally14 variantspermanent14 variantsexistence14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list