oppression

/əˈpɹɛʃən/

//əˈpɹɛʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“oppression” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,788. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,788
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oppression · oppression · English

oppression · rank #9,788 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,788
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH patriotic

Nearest frequency peer: patriotic (+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 “oppression”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oppression” 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).

oppression vs oppressor
80% similar
oppression vs oppressive
80% similar

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

Key facts for oppression
PropertyValue
Headwordoppression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈpɹɛʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#9,788
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oppression”

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).oppressionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “patriotic” (#9,789), “NZ” (#9,786), “Phillip” (#9,790). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oppression” is #9,788. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around oppression (IPA /əˈpɹɛʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,788 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for oppression, with forms such as "opperssion", "oppresion", and "oppresison". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "oppressor", "oppressive", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressiō (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimō; see oppress. The correct English form is oppression, spelled O-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
  2. 2
    The act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed.
  3. 3
    A feeling of being oppressed. Special usage may include a sense of heaviness or obstruction in the body or mind; depression; dullness; lassitude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Oh, by what plots, by what forswearings, betrayings, oppressions, imprisonments, tortures, poisonings, and under what reasons of state and politic subtilty, have these forenamed kings […] pulled the vengeance of God upon themselves […]
  2. "Tibet challenges the conscience of the world," I told the audience at a gathering outside the town's main temple. "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world."

Etymology

From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressiō (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimō; see oppress.

This word in other languages

opresión(Español)oppression(Français)Unterdrückung(Deutsch)opressão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opperssion
  • oppresion
  • oppresison
  • oppressino
  • oppressionn
  • oppressoin
  • opprestion
  • opprression
  • opprsesion
  • opression
  • oprpession
  • popression

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opperssion2oppresion1oppresison2oppressino2oppressionn1oppressoin2opprestion1opprression1
Edit distance from "oppression"

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 "oppression"?
"oppression" is spelled O-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹɛʃən/.
What does "oppression" mean?
As a noun, "oppression" means: The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
What words are commonly confused with "oppression"?
"oppression" is commonly confused with "oppressor", "oppressive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "oppression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oppression" is /əˈpɹɛʃən/. 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 "oppression"?
From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressiō (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimō; see oppress. 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 "oppression", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

playground#9,793positioned#9,796projection#9,801imprisoned#9,768

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

mechanic12 variantsreceptor12 variantssweeping12 variantsenforced12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list