digress

/daɪˈɡɹɛs/

//daɪˈɡɹɛs// verb

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

"digress" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“digress” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,804. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,804
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-digress · digress · English

digress · rank #38,804 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,804
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dijon

Nearest frequency peer: Dijon (+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 “digress”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “digress” 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).

digress vs dress
71% similar
digress vs duress
71% similar
digress vs distress
75% similar

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

Key facts for digress
PropertyValue
Headworddigress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/daɪˈɡɹɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,804
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “digress”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Dijon” (#38,805), “deservedly” (#38,802), “desegregation” (#38,800). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “digress” is #38,804. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around digress (IPA /daɪˈɡɹɛs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #38,804 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for digress, with forms such as "ddigress", "dgiress", and "digerss". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "dress", "duress", "distress", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi. The correct English form is digress, spelled D-I-G-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.
  2. 2
    To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude.
  2. In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition as often as a man varies the signification of any term.

Etymology

From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi.

Synonyms

sidetrackstraydivagate

Antonyms

recur

This word in other languages

desviarse(Español)s'écarter(Français)abgehen(Deutsch)divagar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddigress
  • dgiress
  • digerss
  • diggress
  • digres
  • digrress
  • digrses
  • dirgess
  • idgress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of digress - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddigress1dgiress2digerss2diggress1digres1digrress1digrses2dirgess2
Edit distance from "digress"

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 "digress"?
"digress" is spelled D-I-G-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪˈɡɹɛs/.
What does "digress" mean?
As a verb, "digress" means: To step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.
What words are commonly confused with "digress"?
"digress" is commonly confused with "dress", "duress", "distress". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "digress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "digress" is /daɪˈɡɹɛs/. 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 "digress"?
From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi. 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 "digress", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crybaby#38,796encrypt#38,823Christa#38,783Cartman#38,776

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

fester9 variantsflexed9 variantsFurman9 variantsbayard9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list