réformésvsrefoulésWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réformés and refoulés apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
réformés
8 ch
refoulés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

réformés#34,297
refoulés#36,125

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réformés" and "refoulés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.fɔʁ.me\ versus \ʁə.fu.le\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "réformés" or "refoulés"?
"réformés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,297 in our French list, against #36,125 for "refoulés". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réformés vs refoulés

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “réformés” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list