Which to use
“réactif” is an adjective and “reaction” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,866
- “réactif” frequency rank
- #30,770
- “reaction” frequency rank
- 49636
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réactif | reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui réagit ou fait réagir. | Réaction. |
Where the eye mixes réactif and reaction
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between réactif and reaction
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: réactif is \ʁe.ak.tif\ while reaction is \ɹiˈæk.ʃən\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réactif is recorded at frequency rank #18,866, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.ak.tif\. reaction is at rank #30,770, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɹiˈæk.ʃən\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 49636, this pair ranks #169,033 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of réactif vs reaction
Shared letters: acirt. Private to "réactif": fé. Private to "reaction": eno.
"réactif" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "reaction" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reaction ← eraction · raection · reacction · reaciton · reactino · reactionn · reactoin · reacttion
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "réactif" for "reaction" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "réactif" or "reaction" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "réactif" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reaction" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #169,033 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réactif" and "reaction" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reaction vs réfraction". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #169,033 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.