Which to use
“réformés” and “refoulés” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,297
- “réformés” frequency rank
- #36,125
- “refoulés” frequency rank
- 70422
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réformés | refoulés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de réformé. | Masculin pluriel de refoulé. |
Where the eye mixes réformés and refoulés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. réformés (CVCVCCVC) and refoulés (CVCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses réformés with refoulés
A purely visual mix-up. réformés (\ʁe.fɔʁ.me\) and refoulés (\ʁə.fu.le\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réformés is recorded at frequency rank #34,297, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.fɔʁ.me\. refoulés is at rank #36,125, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.fu.le\.
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 70422, this pair ranks #51,367 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of réformés vs refoulés
Shared letters: forsé. Private to "réformés": m. Private to "refoulés": elu.
"réformés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "refoulés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réformés" and "refoulés" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "réformés" vs "refoulés" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "réformés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "refoulés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,367 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réformés" and "refoulés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "refoulée vs refoulés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,367 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.