digression
/daɪˈɡɹɛʃən/noun
digression is spelled D-I-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, digression means “An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of digression is digressions.
How many letters and syllables are in digression?
| Letters | 10: D-I-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is digression?
Digression appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce digression?
- UK /dʌɪˈɡɹɛʃən/
- UK /dɪˈɡɹɛʃən/
- US /daɪˈɡɹɛʃən/
Digression has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-digression.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Usmaan_(Middle_river_exports)-digression.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-digression.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with digression?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as digression from its last stressed vowel (/ɛʃən/):
- session
- profession
- aggression
- obsession
- progression
- compression
- oppression
- suppression
- concession
- regression
- accession
- hessian
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of digression
- digressions plural
- degression
- disgression
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does digression mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An aside, an act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing.
The lectures included lengthy digressions on topics ranging from the professor's dog to the meaning of life.
- 2
The act of straying from the main subject in speech or writing, (rhetoric) particularly for rhetorical effect.
make digression... by way of digression...
- 3
obsoleteA deviancy, a sin or error, an act of straying from the path of righteousness or a general rule.
- 4
archaicA deviation, an act of straying from a path.
- 5
An elongation, a deflection or deviation from a mean position or expected path.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Digression in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a departure from the main subject in speech or writing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | digression |
| German | Exkurs, Umschweif, Abschweifung |
| Portuguese | digressão |
| Spanish | digresión, divagación, disquisición |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does digression come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).