réduisezvsrefusezWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“réduisez” and “refusez” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#46,424
“réduisez” frequency rank
#28,714
“refusez” frequency rank
75138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réduisez refusez
Definition Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de réduire. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de refuser.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réduisez and refusez apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
réduisez
7 ch
refusez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. réduisez (\ʁe.dɥi.ze\) and refusez (\ʁə.fy.ze\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réduisez is recorded at frequency rank #46,424, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.dɥi.ze\. refusez is at rank #28,714, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.fy.ze\.

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 75138, this pair ranks #35,026 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of réduisez vs refusez

Shared letters: ersuz. Private to "réduisez": dié. Private to "refusez": f.

"réduisez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "refusez" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • refusezerfusez · reffusez · refsuez · refuesz · refusezz · refussez · refusze · reufsez

Frequency comparison

réduisez#46,424
refusez#28,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réduisez" and "refusez" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.dɥi.ze\ versus \ʁə.fy.ze\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "réduisez" or "refusez"?
"refusez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,714 in our French list, against #46,424 for "réduisez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réduisez vs refusez

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “réduisez” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list