# refuse vs refused

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### refuse
*adjective · IPA /ˈɹɛfjuːs/ · frequency rank #3,718*
Discarded, rejected.

### refused
*verb · IPA /ɹɪˈfjuːzd/ · frequency rank #2,806*
simple past and past participle of refuse

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