Which to use
“réfuter” is a verb and “réputés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,119
- “réfuter” frequency rank
- #14,145
- “réputés” frequency rank
- 39264
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réfuter | réputés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Masculin pluriel de réputé. |
Where the eye mixes réfuter and réputés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. réfuter and réputés follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses réfuter with réputés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: réfuter is \ʁe.fy.te\ while réputés is \ʁe.py.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réfuter is recorded at frequency rank #25,119, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.fy.te\. réputés is at rank #14,145, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.py.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 39264, this pair ranks #249,286 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of réfuter vs réputés
Shared letters: rtué. Private to "réfuter": ef. Private to "réputés": ps.
"réfuter" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "réputés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "réfuter" for "réputés" ever safe?
Which is more common, "réfuter" or "réputés"?
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 "réfuter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réputés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #249,286 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfuter" and "réputés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réfuter vs relater". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #249,286 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.