Which to use
“référer” and “reformer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,144
- “référer” frequency rank
- #32,151
- “reformer” frequency rank
- 46295
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | référer | reformer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rapporter une chose à une autre. | Former de nouveau. |
Where the eye mixes référer and reformer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between référer and reformer
A purely visual mix-up. référer (\ʁe.fe.ʁe\) and reformer (\ʁə.fɔʁ.me\) 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 46295, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
référer is recorded at frequency rank #14,144, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fe.ʁe\. reformer is at rank #32,151, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.fɔʁ.me\.
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 46295, this pair ranks #196,071 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of référer vs reformer
Shared letters: efr. Private to "référer": é. Private to "reformer": mo.
"référer" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "reformer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reformer ← erformer · refformer · refomrer · reforemr · reformerr · reformmer · reformre · reforrmer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "référer" for "reformer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "référer" vs "reformer" - which ranks higher?
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 "référer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reformer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #196,071 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "référer" and "reformer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réformées vs reformer". 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 #196,071 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.