repress

/ɹəˈpɹɛs/

//ɹəˈpɹɛs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“repress” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,313. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,313
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.

Corpus desk

Index EN-repress · repress · English

repress · rank #36,313 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,313
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reinsurance

Nearest frequency peer: reinsurance (-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 “repress”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “repress” 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).

repress vs reprise
71% similar
repress vs repressed
78% similar
repress vs recess
71% similar

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

Key facts for repress
PropertyValue
Headwordrepress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹəˈpɹɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,313
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “repress”

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).represslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “reinsurance” (#36,312), “resolutely” (#36,315), “respectability” (#36,316). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “repress” is #36,313. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around repress (IPA /ɹəˈpɹɛs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #36,313 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for repress, with forms such as "erpress", "reperss", and "reppress". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "reprise", "repressed", "recess", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Latin repressus, the perfect passive participle of reprimō (“I repress”). The correct English form is repress, spelled R-E-P-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.
  2. 2
    To check; to keep back.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to repress rebellion or sedition
  2. to repress the first risings of discontent

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin repressus, the perfect passive participle of reprimō (“I repress”).

This word in other languages

réprimer(Français)zurückdrängen(Deutsch)reprimir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erpress
  • reperss
  • reppress
  • repres
  • reprress
  • reprses
  • rerpess
  • rperess
  • rrepress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of repress - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

erpress2reperss2reppress1repres1reprress1reprses2rerpess2rperess2
Edit distance from "repress"

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 "repress"?
"repress" is spelled R-E-P-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈpɹɛs/.
What does "repress" mean?
As a verb, "repress" means: To forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.
What words are commonly confused with "repress"?
"repress" is commonly confused with "reprise", "repressed", "recess". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "repress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repress" is /ɹəˈpɹɛs/. 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 "repress"?
Ultimately from Latin repressus, the perfect passive participle of reprimō (“I repress”). 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 "repress", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

raucous#36,307robocop#36,320sanctum#36,326sequoia#36,334

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Rostov9 variantsrusher9 variantspiglet9 variantssolver9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list