suppression

/səˈpɹɛʃən/

//səˈpɹɛʃən// noun

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

"suppression" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suppression” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,617 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,617
frequency rank, English
11
letters
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act or instance of suppressing.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

suppression vs suppressor
82% similar
suppression vs suppressing
82% similar

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

Key facts for suppression
PropertyValue
Headwordsuppression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈpɹɛʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#11,617
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “suppression” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). suppression lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for suppression is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səˈpɹɛʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,617 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for suppression, with forms such as "spupression", "ssuppression", and "supperssion". 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, "suppressor", "suppressing", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin suppressiō. The correct English form is suppression, spelled S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act or instance of suppressing.
  2. 2
    The state of being suppressed.
  3. 3
    A process in which a person consciously excludes anxiety-producing thoughts, feelings, or memories.
  4. 4
    The entirety of acts aimed at stopping or preventing the enemy to execute such unwanted activities like firing, regrouping, observation or others.
  5. 5
    A subconscious adaptation by a person's brain to eliminate the symptoms of disorders of binocular vision such as strabismus, convergence insufficiency and aniseikonia.

Etymology

From Latin suppressiō.

This word in other languages

Unterdrückung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: spupression,ssuppression,supperssion,suppresion,suppresison,suppressino,suppressionn,suppressoin,supprestion,supprression,supprsesion,supression,suprpession,usppression

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

spupression2ssuppression1supperssion2suppresion1suppresison2suppressino2suppressionn1suppressoin2
Edit distance from "suppression"

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 "suppression"?
"suppression" is spelled S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈpɹɛʃən/.
What does "suppression" mean?
As a noun, "suppression" means: The act or instance of suppressing.
What words are commonly confused with "suppression"?
"suppression" is commonly confused with "suppressor", "suppressing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suppression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suppression" is /səˈpɹɛʃən/. 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 "suppression"?
From Latin suppressiō. 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.

Using “suppression”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈpɹɛʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “suppressor” - see the side-by-side comparison. suppression vs suppressor
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list