refer
re·fer/ɹɪˈfɝ/verb, noun
refer is spelled R-E-F-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (re·fer). It appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, refer means “To direct the attention of (someone toward something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in refer?
| Letters | 5: R-E-F-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: re·fer |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,288th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is refer?
Refer appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce refer?
- UK /ɹɪˈfɜː/
- US /ɹɪˈfɝ/
- /ɹɪˈfɛr/
As a noun (“A blurb on the front page of a newspaper issue or section…”): /ˈɹiːfə/, /ˈɹifɚ/, /ˈɹiːfə/.
Refer has 2 syllables, split re·fer in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-refer.ogg, En-au-reefer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with refer?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as refer from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: freer.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of refer
- refers present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- referring participle, present
- referred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does refer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
The shop assistant referred me to the help desk on ground floor.
- 2
To submit to (another person or group) for consideration; to send or direct elsewhere.
He referred the matter to the principal.
- 3
To place in or under by a mental or rational process; to assign to, as a class, a cause, source, a motive, reason, or ground of explanation.
He referred the phenomena to electrical disturbances.
- 4
To mention (something); to direct attention (to something).
To explain the problem, the teacher referred to an example in another textbook.
- 5
To make reference to; to be about; to relate to; to regard; to allude to.
The recipe referred to several unusual ingredients.
- 6
To be referential to another element in a sentence.
- 7
To point to either a specific location in computer memory or to a specific object.
In C, the pointer obtained by &a refers to the variable a.
- 8
To require to resit an examination.
Smith's marks in the finals were unsatisfactory and he was referred.
noun
- 1
A blurb on the front page of a newspaper issue or section that refers the reader to the full story inside the issue or section by listing its slug or headline and its page number.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Refer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | référer , renvoyer (à) |
| German | verweisen , sich auf etwas beziehen |
| Portuguese | encaminhar , referir, mencionar , remeter, indicar |
| Spanish | referir, remitir , referirse a, estar relacionado con |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does refer come from?
From Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre. The noun (used in journalism) is from the verb. Doublet of relate. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).