Which to use
“refute” is a verb and “revue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,295
- “refute” frequency rank
- #26,575
- “revue” frequency rank
- 50870
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refute | revue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To prove (something) to be false or incorrect. | A form of theatrical entertainment in which recent events, popular fads, etc., are parodied. |
Where the eye mixes refute and revue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between refute and revue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: refute is /ɹɪˈfjuːt/ while revue is /ɹəˈvjuː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50870, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
refute is recorded at frequency rank #24,295, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈfjuːt/. revue is at rank #26,575, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹəˈvjuː/.
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 50870, this pair ranks #170,418 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of refute vs revue
Shared letters: eru. Private to "refute": ft. Private to "revue": v.
"refute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "revue" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "refute" and "revue" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "refute" or "revue" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "refute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "revue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #170,418 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "refute" and "revue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "revue vs roque". 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 #170,418 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.