réfléchirvsréfléchisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: réfléchir is a verb, réfléchis is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“réfléchir” is a verb and “réfléchis” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,451
“réfléchir” frequency rank
#8,459
“réfléchis” frequency rank
10910
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réfléchir réfléchis
Definition Renvoyer les rayons lumineux, caloriques, sonores, qui ont été reçus. Masculin pluriel de réfléchi.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réfléchir and réfléchis apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
réfléchir
9 ch
réfléchis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: réfléchir is \ʁe.fle.ʃiʁ\ while réfléchis is \ʁe.fle.ʃi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “réfléchir” becomes s in “réfléchis”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réfléchir is recorded at frequency rank #2,451, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fle.ʃiʁ\. réfléchis is at rank #8,459, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.fle.ʃi\.

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 10910, this pair ranks #411,191 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of réfléchir vs réfléchis

Shared letters: cfhilré. Private to "réfléchir": -. Private to "réfléchis": s.

"réfléchir" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "réfléchis" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

réfléchir#2,451
réfléchis#8,459

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réfléchir" and "réfléchis" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "réfléchir" is a verb and "réfléchis" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "réfléchir" or "réfléchis"?
"réfléchir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,451 in our French list, against #8,459 for "réfléchis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réfléchir vs réfléchis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “réfléchir”; for an adjective, it's “réfléchis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “réfléchir” 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