refute
/ɹɪˈfjuːt/
"refute" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“refute” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,295 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #24,295
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
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 | refute |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈfjuːt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #24,295 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “refute” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for refute is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈfjuːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,295 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 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 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
- 1To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
- 2To deny the truth or correctness of (something); to reject or disagree with an accusation.
Etymology
From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”).
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “refute”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-F-U-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈfjuːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “route” - see the side-by-side comparison. refute vs route
- 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.