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 eye mixes réfléchir and réfléchis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. réfléchir and réfléchis follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between réfléchir and réfléchis
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "réfléchir" for "réfléchis" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "réfléchir" or "réfléchis" show up more?
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 "réfléchir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réfléchis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #411,191 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfléchir" and "réfléchis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfléchis vs réfléchisse". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #411,191 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.