rétrogression

\ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\

/\ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“rétrogression” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Action de rétrograder, déclin vers une forme plus simple, moins complexe, moins évoluée.

Corpus desk

Index FR-retrogression · rétrogression · French

rétrogression · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for rétrogression
PropertyValue
Headwordrétrogression
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « rétrogression » en français

rétrogressionn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rétrogression is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    Action de rétrograder, déclin vers une forme plus simple, moins complexe, moins évoluée.
  2. 2
    Mouvement en arrière, sans nuance péjorative.
  3. 3
    Figure de style qui consiste à reprendre, dans une même phrase, une suite de mots en les plaçant en ordre inverse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Les relations de la Communauté avec la Chine connaissent une amélioration constante, après la rétrogression qui a suivi les événements de la place Tien an Men.
  2. « Il existe une rétrogression prospective, non réactionnaire, et c'est elle qu'il faut continuer de conquérir »

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

How do you spell "rétrogression"?
"rétrogression" is spelled R-É-T-R-O-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\.
What does "rétrogression" mean?
As a noun, "rétrogression" means: Action de rétrograder, déclin vers une forme plus simple, moins complexe, moins évoluée.
How do you pronounce "rétrogression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rétrogression" is \ʁe.tʁɔ.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rétrogression" come from?
"rétrogression" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list