Which to use
“réfugier” and “réfuter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,685
- “réfugier” frequency rank
- #25,119
- “réfuter” frequency rank
- 38804
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réfugier | réfuter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se retirer en quelque lieu ou auprès de quelqu’un pour être en sûreté, pour être à l’abri. | Combattre, détruire par des raisons convaincantes ce qu’un autre a avancé ; prouver que ce qu’un adversaire a dit est mal fondé ou n’est pas vrai. |
Where the eye mixes réfugier and réfuter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. réfugier runs 8 letters (CVCVCVVC) against réfuter's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses réfugier with réfuter
A purely visual mix-up. réfugier (\ʁe.fy.ʒje\) and réfuter (\ʁe.fy.te\) 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 38804, 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\. réfuter is at rank #25,119, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fy.te\.
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 38804, this pair ranks #252,675 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of réfugier vs réfuter
Shared letters: efrué. Private to "réfugier": gi. Private to "réfuter": t.
"réfugier" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC · "réfuter" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "réfugier" and "réfuter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "réfugier" vs "réfuter" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "réfugier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réfuter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #252,675 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfugier" and "réfuter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfuter vs relater". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #252,675 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.