Which to use
“réception” and “réfection” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,503
- “réception” frequency rank
- #19,145
- “réfection” frequency rank
- 22648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réception | réfection |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action de recevoir une chose qui a été adressée. | Réparation, rétablissement d’un bâtiment. |
Where the eye mixes réception and réfection
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. réception and réfection follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: réception vs réfection
A purely visual mix-up. réception (\ʁe.sɛp.sjɔ̃\) and réfection (\ʁe.fɛk.sjɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réception is recorded at frequency rank #3,503, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.sɛp.sjɔ̃\. réfection is at rank #19,145, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.fɛk.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 22648, this pair ranks #356,857 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of réception vs réfection
Shared letters: ceinorté. Private to "réception": p. Private to "réfection": f.
"réception" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "réfection" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réception" and "réfection" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "réception" or "réfection"?
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 "réception" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réfection" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #356,857 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réception" and "réfection" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfection vs réfraction". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #356,857 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.