refuge

\ʁə.fyʒ\

/\ʁə.fyʒ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“refuge” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #5,392 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,392
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Asile ; retraite ; lieu où l’on cherche un abri.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

refuge vs rouge
67% similar
refuge vs revue
67% similar
refuge vs refus
67% similar

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

Key facts for refuge
PropertyValue
Headwordrefuge
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁə.fyʒ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,392
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “refuge” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for refuge is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁə.fyʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #5,392 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 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". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rouge", "revue", "refus", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is refuge, spelled R-E-F-U-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Asile ; retraite ; lieu où l’on cherche un abri.
  2. 2
    Ensemble des pays dans lesquels se sont installés les Huguenots qui ont fui la France pendant les persécutions.
  3. 3
    Centre d’accueil et de protection destiné à recueillir les animaux trouvés.
  4. 4
    Habitat de montagne pour les alpinistes.
  5. 5
    Terre-plein au milieu de la voie publique où les piétons peuvent se garer des voitures.
  6. 6
    Bienfaiteur dont on attend, dont on implore la protection, le secours.
  7. 7
    Prétexte, raisons apparentes sous lesquelles l’erreur ou la mauvaise foi cherche à se mettre à couvert.

Synonyms

havrehavre de paix

This word in other languages

refuge(English)refugio(Español)Zufluchtsort(Deutsch)refúgio(Português)

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 - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erfuge2reffuge1refgue2refueg2refugge1reufge2rfeuge2rrefuge1
Edit distance from "refuge"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "refuge"?
"refuge" is spelled R-E-F-U-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.fyʒ\.
What does "refuge" mean?
As a noun, "refuge" means: Asile ; retraite ; lieu où l’on cherche un abri.
What words are commonly confused with "refuge"?
"refuge" is commonly confused with "rouge", "revue", "refus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "refuge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "refuge" is \ʁə.fyʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "refuge" come from?
"refuge" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “refuge”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is R-E-F-U-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁə.fyʒ\ (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 French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list