rétrogression
\ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\
The verdict
“rétrogression” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de rétrograder, déclin vers une forme plus simple, moins complexe, moins évoluée.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rétrogression |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rétrogression” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for rétrogression is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for rétrogression, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is rétrogression, spelled R-É-T-R-O-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Action de rétrograder, déclin vers une forme plus simple, moins complexe, moins évoluée.
- 2Mouvement en arrière, sans nuance péjorative.
- 3Figure de style qui consiste à reprendre, dans une même phrase, une suite de mots en les plaçant en ordre inverse.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “rétrogression”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is R-É-T-R-O-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.