Which to use
“réfugié” and “réfugiée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,939
- “réfugié” frequency rank
- #31,709
- “réfugiée” frequency rank
- 42648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réfugié | réfugiée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Personne qui a quitté son pays ou sa région pour fuir un danger. | Femme réfugiée. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réfugié and réfugiée apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. réfugié and réfugiée are pronounced identically (\ʁe.fy.ʒje\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “réfugié” sits inside “réfugiée”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réfugié is recorded at frequency rank #10,939, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.fy.ʒje\. réfugiée is at rank #31,709, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.fy.ʒje\.
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 42648, this pair ranks #224,024 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of réfugié vs réfugiée
Shared letters: fgirué. Private to "réfugié": -. Private to "réfugiée": e.
"réfugié" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "réfugiée" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réfugié" and "réfugiée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "réfugié" or "réfugiée"?
Remembering réfugié vs réfugiée
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 “réfugié” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable