regression

/ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/

//ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“regression” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,043. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,043
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.

Corpus desk

Index EN-regression · regression · English

regression · rank #15,043 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,043
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reconcile

Nearest frequency peer: reconcile (-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 “regression”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “regression” 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).

regression vs repression
90% similar
regression vs regressive
80% similar
regression vs recession
80% similar

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

Key facts for regression
PropertyValue
Headwordregression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#15,043
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “regression”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).regressionlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “reconcile” (#15,042), “resilient” (#15,044), “raspberry” (#15,041). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “regression” is #15,043. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around regression (IPA /ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,043 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for regression, with forms such as "ergression", "regerssion", and "reggression". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "repression", "regressive", "recession", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin regressio. Equivalent to regress + -ion. The statistics sense comes from regression to the mean. The correct English form is regression, spelled R-E-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.
  2. 2
    An action of travelling mentally back in time.
  3. 3
    A psychotherapeutic method whereby healing is facilitated by inducing the patient to act out behaviour typical of an earlier developmental stage.
  4. 4
    An analytic method to measure the association of one or more independent variables with a dependent variable.
  5. 5
    An equation using specified and associated data for two or more variables such that one variable can be estimated from the remaining variable(s).
  6. 6
    The reappearance of a bug in a piece of software that had previously been fixed.
  7. 7
    The diminishing of a cellular mass like a tumor, or of an organ size.
  8. 8
    The making an exercise less straining to perform by manipulating the details of its performance like loaded weight, range of motion, angle, speed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Few of these groups or communities that are classed as "savage" show no traces of regression from a more advanced cultural stage.
  2. I have done past life regressions on my own through self-hypnosis techniques that I learned in Brian Weiss's book Many Lives, Many Masters as well as with past life regression tapes.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin regressio. Equivalent to regress + -ion. The statistics sense comes from regression to the mean.

Antonyms

progression

This word in other languages

regresión(Español)régression(Français)Rückbildung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ergression
  • regerssion
  • reggression
  • regresion
  • regresison
  • regressino
  • regressionn
  • regressoin
  • regrestion
  • regrression
  • regrsesion
  • rergession
  • rgeression
  • rregression

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ergression2regerssion2reggression1regresion1regresison2regressino2regressionn1regressoin2
Edit distance from "regression"

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 "regression"?
"regression" is spelled R-E-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/.
What does "regression" mean?
As a noun, "regression" means: An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.
What words are commonly confused with "regression"?
"regression" is commonly confused with "repression", "regressive", "recession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "regression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "regression" is /ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/. 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 "regression"?
Learned borrowing from Latin regressio. Equivalent to regress + -ion. The statistics sense comes from regression to the mean. 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 "regression", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

preventive#15,031pilgrimage#15,025staggering#15,066synonymous#15,071

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

punishing14 variantspulmonary14 variantsSchneider14 variantsSchwartz14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list