réfutervsrésulterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“réfuter” and “résulter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#25,119
“réfuter” frequency rank
#25,121
“résulter” frequency rank
50240
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réfuter résulter
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. Faire suite à certains événements ; provoquer les effets de certaines causes.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réfuter and résulter apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
réfuter
8 ch
résulter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. réfuter (\ʁe.fy.te\) and résulter (\ʁe.zyl.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 50240, 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\. résulter is at rank #25,121, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zyl.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 50240, this pair ranks #164,190 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of réfuter vs résulter

Shared letters: ertué. Private to "réfuter": f. Private to "résulter": ls.

"réfuter" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "résulter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

réfuter#25,119
résulter#25,121

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réfuter" and "résulter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.fy.te\ versus \ʁe.zyl.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "réfuter" or "résulter"?
"réfuter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,119 in our French list, against #25,121 for "résulter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réfuter vs résulter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “réfuter” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list