Which to use
“refuge” and “repute” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,193
- “refuge” frequency rank
- #45,047
- “repute” frequency rank
- 53240
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refuge | repute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A state of safety, protection or shelter. | Reputation, especially a good reputation. |
Where the eye mixes refuge and repute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses refuge with repute
A purely visual mix-up. refuge (/ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/) and repute (/ɹɪˈpjuːt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
refuge is recorded at frequency rank #8,193, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/. repute is at rank #45,047, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈpjuːt/.
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 53240, this pair ranks #150,627 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of refuge vs repute
Shared letters: eru. Private to "refuge": fg. Private to "repute": pt.
"refuge" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "repute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "refuge" and "repute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "refuge" or "repute"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "refuge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "repute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #150,627 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "refuge" and "repute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rebut vs repute". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #150,627 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.