Which to use
“réfugier” and “refuser” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,685
- “réfugier” frequency rank
- #3,562
- “refuser” frequency rank
- 17247
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réfugier | refuser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se retirer en quelque lieu ou auprès de quelqu’un pour être en sûreté, pour être à l’abri. | Rejeter une demande, ne pas accorder ce qui est demandé ; ne pas vouloir faire ce qui est exigé, prescrit, ordonné. |
Where the eye mixes réfugier and refuser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. réfugier runs 8 letters (CVCVCVVC) against refuser's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: réfugier vs refuser
A purely visual mix-up. réfugier (\ʁe.fy.ʒje\) and refuser (\ʁə.fy.ze\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17247, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réfugier is recorded at frequency rank #13,685, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fy.ʒje\. refuser is at rank #3,562, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.fy.ze\.
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 17247, this pair ranks #384,092 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of réfugier vs refuser
Shared letters: efru. Private to "réfugier": gié. Private to "refuser": s.
"réfugier" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC · "refuser" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- refuser ← erfuser · reffuser · refsuer · refuesr · refuserr · refusre · refusser · reufser
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réfugier" and "refuser" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "réfugier" or "refuser" 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 "réfugier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "refuser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #384,092 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfugier" and "refuser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfugiées vs réfugier". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #384,092 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.