Which to use
“réfugiés” and “refusés” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,421
- “réfugiés” frequency rank
- #27,595
- “refusés” frequency rank
- 31016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réfugiés | refusés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de réfugié. | Masculin pluriel de refusé. |
Where the eye mixes réfugiés and refusés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. réfugiés runs 8 letters (CVCVCVVC) against refusés's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between réfugiés and refusés
A purely visual mix-up. réfugiés (\ʁe.fy.ʒje\) and refusés (\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 31016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réfugiés is recorded at frequency rank #3,421, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.fy.ʒje\. refusés is at rank #27,595, tagged as anadj, 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 31016, this pair ranks #306,537 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of réfugiés vs refusés
Shared letters: frsué. Private to "réfugiés": gi. Private to "refusés": e.
"réfugiés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC · "refusés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "réfugiés" for "refusés" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "réfugiés" or "refusés" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "réfugiés" and "refusés" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "réfugiés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "refusés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,537 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfugiés" and "refusés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "refusés vs révisés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #306,537 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.