refute

/ɹɪˈfjuːt/

//ɹɪˈfjuːt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"refute" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“refute” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,295. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,295
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-refute · refute · English

refute · rank #24,295 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,295
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH resettlement

Nearest frequency peer: resettlement (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “refute”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “refute” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

refute vs route
67% similar
refute vs reuse
67% similar
refute vs revue
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for refute
PropertyValue
Headwordrefute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈfjuːt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#24,295
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “refute”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).refutelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “resettlement” (#24,296), “Reece” (#24,293), “reverted” (#24,297). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “refute” is #24,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around refute (IPA /ɹɪˈfjuːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,295 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for refute, with forms such as "erfute", "reffute", and "reftue". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "route", "reuse", "revue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”). The correct English form is refute, spelled R-E-F-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
  2. 2
    To deny the truth or correctness of (something); to reject or disagree with an accusation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how refute appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson…
  2. A spokesperson for VARS Technology said: “We completely refute the suggestion that our market-leading ANPR system is unreliable".

Etymology

From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”).

This word in other languages

refutar(Español)réfuter(Français)widerlegen(Deutsch)refutar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erfute
  • reffute
  • reftue
  • refuet
  • refutte
  • reufte
  • rfeute
  • rrefute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of refute - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erfute2reffute1reftue2refuet2refutte1reufte2rfeute2rrefute1
Edit distance from "refute"

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 "refute"?
"refute" is spelled R-E-F-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈfjuːt/.
What does "refute" mean?
As a verb, "refute" means: To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
What words are commonly confused with "refute"?
"refute" is commonly confused with "route", "reuse", "revue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "refute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "refute" is /ɹɪˈfjuːt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "refute"?
From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "refute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spades#24,318Peoria#24,269spleen#24,321stuffs#24,328

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

sects8 variantsvacate8 variantswarring8 variantsYemeni8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list