réélectionvsréfectionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,588
“réélection” frequency rank
#19,145
“réfection” frequency rank
37733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réélection réfection
Definition Action d’élire de nouveau. Réparation, rétablissement d’un bâtiment.

Where the eye mixes réélection and réfection

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. réélection runs 10 letters (CVVCVCCVVC) against réfection's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
réélection
9 ch
réfection

Visual trap between réélection and réfection

A purely visual mix-up. réélection (\ʁe.e.lɛk.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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réélection is recorded at frequency rank #18,588, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.e.lɛk.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 37733, this pair ranks #260,316 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of réélection vs réfection

Shared letters: ceinorté. Private to "réélection": l. Private to "réfection": f.

"réélection" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCCVVC  ·  "réfection" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réélection" and "réfection" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.e.lɛk.sjɔ̃\ versus \ʁe.fɛk.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "réélection" or "réfection"?
"réélection" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,588 in our French list, against #19,145 for "réfection". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "réélection" and "réfection" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "réélection" 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 #260,316 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "réélection" and "réfection" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfection vs réfraction". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #260,316 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list