oppress

/əˈpɹɛs/

//əˈpɹɛs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“oppress” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,772. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,772
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To keep down by unjust force.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oppress · oppress · English

oppress · rank #33,772 · 7 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,772
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH opinionated

Nearest frequency peer: opinionated (-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 “oppress”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oppress” 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).

oppress vs oppressed
78% similar
oppress vs oppressor
78% similar

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

Key facts for oppress
PropertyValue
Headwordoppress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɹɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,772
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oppress”

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).oppresslands 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 “opinionated” (#33,771), “originator” (#33,773), “Ophelia” (#33,770). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oppress” is #33,772. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around oppress (IPA /əˈpɹɛs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,772 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for oppress, with forms such as "opperss", "oppres", and "opprress". 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, "oppressed", "oppressor", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English oppressen, from Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare (“to press against, oppress”), frequentative of Latin opprimere, past participle oppressus (“to press against, press together, oppress”), from ob (“against”) + premere,… The correct English form is oppress, spelled O-P-P-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To keep down by unjust force.
  2. 2
    To make sad or gloomy.
  3. 3
    Physically to press down on (someone) with harmful effects; to smother, crush.
  4. 4
    To sexually violate; to rape.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The rural poor were oppressed by the land-owners.
  2. We were oppressed by the constant grey skies.

Etymology

From Middle English oppressen, from Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare (“to press against, oppress”), frequentative of Latin opprimere, past participle oppressus (“to press against, press together, oppress”), from ob (“against”) + premere, past participle pressus (“to press”); see press.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opperss
  • oppres
  • opprress
  • opprses
  • opress
  • oprpess
  • popress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opperss2oppres1opprress1opprses2opress1oprpess2popress2
Edit distance from "oppress"

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 "oppress"?
"oppress" is spelled O-P-P-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹɛs/.
What does "oppress" mean?
As a verb, "oppress" means: To keep down by unjust force.
What words are commonly confused with "oppress"?
"oppress" is commonly confused with "oppressed", "oppressor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "oppress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oppress" is /əˈpɹɛs/. 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 "oppress"?
From Middle English oppressen, from Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare (“to press against, oppress”), frequentative of Latin opprimere, past participle oppressus (“to press against, press together, oppress”), from ob (“against”) ... 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 "oppress", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ophelia#33,770Overton#33,776parched#33,781pecking#33,787

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

pasty7 variantsnears7 variantspesto7 variantsMSRP7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list