réfléchisvsréfléchisseWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#8,459
“réfléchis” frequency rank
#34,733
“réfléchisse” frequency rank
43192
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réfléchis réfléchisse
Definition Masculin pluriel de réfléchi. Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de réfléchir.

Where the eye mixes réfléchis and réfléchisse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. réfléchis runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against réfléchisse's 11 (CVCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
réfléchis
11 ch
réfléchisse

Visual trap between réfléchis and réfléchisse

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: réfléchis is \ʁe.fle.ʃi\ while réfléchisse is \ʁe.fle.ʃis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “réfléchis” sits inside “réfléchisse”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réfléchis is recorded at frequency rank #8,459, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.fle.ʃi\. réfléchisse is at rank #34,733, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fle.ʃis\.

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 43192, this pair ranks #219,948 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of réfléchis vs réfléchisse

Shared letters: cfhilrsé. Private to "réfléchis": -. Private to "réfléchisse": e.

"réfléchis" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "réfléchisse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "réfléchis" and "réfléchisse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "réfléchis" is an adjective and "réfléchisse" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "réfléchis" vs "réfléchisse" - which ranks higher?
"réfléchis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,459 in our French list, against #34,733 for "réfléchisse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "réfléchis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "réfléchisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #219,948 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "réfléchis" and "réfléchisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfléchisse vs réfléchissent". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #219,948 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