Which to use
“reaction” and “réfraction” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,770
- “reaction” frequency rank
- #39,522
- “réfraction” frequency rank
- 70292
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reaction | réfraction |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réaction. | Déviation que subit un rayon lumineux, lorsqu’il passe d'un milieu dans un milieu de densité différente. |
Where the eye mixes reaction and réfraction
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: reaction vs réfraction
A purely visual mix-up. reaction (\ɹiˈæk.ʃən\) and réfraction (\ʁe.fʁak.sjɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reaction is recorded at frequency rank #30,770, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɹiˈæk.ʃən\. réfraction is at rank #39,522, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.fʁak.sjɔ̃\.
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 70292, this pair ranks #51,898 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of reaction vs réfraction
Shared letters: acinort. Private to "reaction": e. Private to "réfraction": fé.
"reaction" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC · "réfraction" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reaction ← eraction · raection · reacction · reaciton · reactino · reactionn · reactoin · reacttion
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "reaction" for "réfraction" ever safe?
Frequency check: "reaction" vs "réfraction" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "reaction" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réfraction" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,898 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reaction" and "réfraction" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfraction vs rétroaction". 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 #51,898 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.