Which to use
“redéfinir” and “redevenir” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,319
- “redéfinir” frequency rank
- #13,894
- “redevenir” frequency rank
- 42213
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | redéfinir | redevenir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Définir une nouvelle fois, en changeant quelque chose. | Devenir de nouveau, recommencer à être ce qu’on était auparavant. |
Where the eye mixes redéfinir and redevenir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses redéfinir with redevenir
A purely visual mix-up. redéfinir (\ʁə.de.fi.niʁ\) and redevenir (\ʁə.də.vniʁ\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
redéfinir is recorded at frequency rank #28,319, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.de.fi.niʁ\. redevenir is at rank #13,894, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.də.vniʁ\.
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 42213, this pair ranks #227,342 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of redéfinir vs redevenir
Shared letters: deinr. Private to "redéfinir": fé. Private to "redevenir": v.
"redéfinir" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "redevenir" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- redevenir ← erdevenir · rdeevenir · reddevenir · redeevnir · redeveinr · redevenirr · redevennir · redevenri
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "redéfinir" for "redevenir" ever safe?
Frequency check: "redéfinir" vs "redevenir" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "redéfinir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "redevenir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #227,342 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "redéfinir" and "redevenir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "redevenir vs redevenue". 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 #227,342 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.