Which to use
“refuser” is a verb and “refusés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,562
- “refuser” frequency rank
- #27,595
- “refusés” frequency rank
- 31157
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refuser | refusés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rejeter une demande, ne pas accorder ce qui est demandé ; ne pas vouloir faire ce qui est exigé, prescrit, ordonné. | Masculin pluriel de refusé. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set refuser and refusés apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
refuser and refusés form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
refuser is recorded at frequency rank #3,562, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.fy.ze\. 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 31157, this pair ranks #305,614 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "refuser" and "refusés" be used interchangeably?
Remembering refuser vs refusés
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “refuser”; for an adjective, it's “refusés”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “refuser” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable