Which to use
“reduction” and “réfection” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,773
- “reduction” frequency rank
- #19,145
- “réfection” frequency rank
- 49918
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reduction | réfection |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réduction, diminution. | Réparation, rétablissement d’un bâtiment. |
Where the eye mixes reduction and réfection
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. reduction and réfection follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses reduction with réfection
A purely visual mix-up. reduction (\ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49918, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reduction is recorded at frequency rank #30,773, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən\. 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 49918, this pair ranks #166,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of reduction vs réfection
Shared letters: ceinort. Private to "reduction": du. Private to "réfection": fé.
"reduction" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "réfection" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reduction ← erduction · rdeuction · redcution · redduction · reducction · reduciton · reductino · reductionn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "reduction" for "réfection" ever safe?
Which is more common, "reduction" or "réfection"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "reduction" 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 #166,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reduction" and "réfection" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reaction vs reduction". 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 #166,815 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.