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 eye mixes réfuter and résulter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. réfuter runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against résulter's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: réfuter vs résulter
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "réfuter" for "résulter" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "réfuter" or "résulter" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "réfuter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "résulter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,190 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réfuter" and "résulter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "résulter vs results". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #164,190 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.