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refuge

/ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/noun, verb

refuge is spelled R-E-F-U-G-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, refuge means “A state of safety, protection or shelter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of refuge is refuges.

How many letters and syllables are in refuge?

Letters6: R-E-F-U-G-E
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing8.1 times per million words; the 8,146th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is refuge?

Refuge appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th 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 refuge?

  • /ˈɹɛfjuːd͡ʒ/

Refuge has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-refuge.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-refuge.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of refuge

  • refuges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • refuging participle, present
  • refuged participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does refuge mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A state of safety, protection or shelter.

  2. 2

    A place providing safety, protection or shelter.

  3. 3

    Something or someone turned to for safety or assistance; a recourse or resort.

  4. 4

    An expedient to secure protection or defence.

  5. 5

    A refuge island.

  6. 6

    A kind of daily prayer or recitation.

verb

  1. 1

    To return to a place of shelter.

  2. 2

    obsoleteTo shelter; to protect.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Refuge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchrefuge (state of safety, protection or shelter)
GermanZuflucht (state of safety, protection or shelter), Herberge, Zufluchtsort (place providing safety, protection or shelter), Zufluchtsstätte (something or someone turned to for safety or…)
Portugueserefúgio, abrigo (state of safety, protection or shelter)
Spanishrefugio (state of safety, protection or shelter), refugiarse (to return to a place of shelter)

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 refuge come from?

From Middle English refuge, from Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, from re- + fugiō (“flee”). Doublet of refugium.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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