refuge
/ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/
"refuge" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“refuge” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,193 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #8,193
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state of safety, protection or shelter.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | refuge |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #8,193 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “refuge” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for refuge is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,193 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for refuge, with forms such as "erfuge", "reffuge", and "refgue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "rouge", "reuse", "revue", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English refuge, from Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, from re- + fugiō (“flee”). Doublet of refugium. The correct English form is refuge, spelled R-E-F-U-G-E.
Definition
- 1A state of safety, protection or shelter.
- 2A place providing safety, protection or shelter.
- 3Something or someone turned to for safety or assistance; a recourse or resort.
- 4An expedient to secure protection or defence.
- 5A refuge island.
Etymology
From Middle English refuge, from Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, from re- + fugiō (“flee”). Doublet of refugium.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erfuge,reffuge,refgue,refueg,refugge,reufge,rfeuge,rrefuge
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of refuge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "refuge"?
What does "refuge" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "refuge"?
How do you pronounce "refuge"?
What is the origin of the word "refuge"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “refuge”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-F-U-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rouge” - see the side-by-side comparison. refuge vs rouge
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.