digression

/dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/

//dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“digression” is uncommon English (frequency #70,605 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,605
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-digression · digression · English

digression · rank #70,605 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,605
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dishonourable

Nearest frequency peer: dishonourable (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “digression”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “digression” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for digression
PropertyValue
Headworddigression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#70,605
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “digression” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “dishonourable” (#70,607), “dolor” (#70,610), “democratisation” (#70,599). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “digression” is #70,605. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

digression is uncommon English at frequency #70,605 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for digression, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin dīgressiōnem, from dīgressus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs), the past passive participle of dīgredior (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradior (“to step, walk, go”). The correct English form is digression, spelled D-I-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
  2. 2
    The act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing, (rhetoric) particularly for rhetorical effect.
  3. 3
    A deviancy, a sin or error, an act of straying from the path of righteousness or a general rule.
  4. 4
    A deviation, an act of straying from a path.
  5. 5
    An elongation, a deflection or deviation from a mean position or expected path.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The lectures included lengthy digressions on topics ranging from the professor's dog to the meaning of life.
  2. History tells us stodgy, cautious stuff, cardigan-football is the way to go here. The 1966 World Cup kicked off with 0-0 draw against Uruguay so tedious the Guardian match report contains a whimsical digression on the writer’s urge to drift off to sleep in the second half.

Etymology

From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin dīgressiōnem, from dīgressus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs), the past passive participle of dīgredior (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradior (“to step, walk, go”).

Synonyms

digressioecbole

This word in other languages

digresión(Español)digression(Français)Exkurs(Deutsch)digressão(Português)

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 "digression"?
"digression" is spelled D-I-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/.
What does "digression" mean?
As a noun, "digression" means: An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
How do you pronounce "digression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "digression" is /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/. 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 "digression"?
From Old French digressiun or disgressiun, from Latin dīgressiōnem, from dīgressus + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs), the past passive participle of dīgredior (“to step away, to digress”), from dis- + gradior (“to step, walk, go”). 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 "digression", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

condescend#70,574cognizance#70,572episcopacy#70,643Faisalabad#70,651

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list