# referee vs reference

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### referee
*noun · IPA /ˌɹɛf.əˈɹiː/ · frequency rank #8,848*
An umpire or judge; an official who makes sure the rules are followed during a game.

### reference
*noun · IPA /ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹəns/ · frequency rank #1,876*
A relationship or relation (to something).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/referee-vs-reference