Which to use
“régression” and “répression” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,555
- “régression” frequency rank
- #5,183
- “répression” frequency rank
- 19738
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | régression | répression |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Recul, diminution après une progression. | Action de réprimer. |
Where the eye mixes régression and répression
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses régression with répression
A purely visual mix-up. régression (\ʁe.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\) and répression (\ʁe.pʁe.sjɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - g in “régression” becomes p in “répression”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19738, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
régression is recorded at frequency rank #14,555, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.ɡʁɛ.sjɔ̃\. répression is at rank #5,183, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.pʁe.sjɔ̃\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19738, this pair ranks #371,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of régression vs répression
Shared letters: einorsé. Private to "régression": g. Private to "répression": p.
"régression" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC · "répression" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "régression" for "répression" ever safe?
Frequency check: "régression" vs "répression" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "régression" and "répression" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "régression" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "répression" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #371,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "régression" and "répression" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "régression vs répressions". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #371,815 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.