refém
/ʀɨ.ˈfɐ̃j̃/
The verdict
“refém” has 7 generated spelling variants in the Portuguese index at frequency #11,531. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #11,531
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 1,668
- “R” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - pessoa ou povoação que fica em poder do inimigo como penhor de um contrato
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | refém |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ʀɨ.ˈfɐ̃j̃/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #11,531 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “refém” sits in Portuguese frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around refém (IPA /ʀɨ.ˈfɐ̃j̃/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,531 among 1,668 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "pessoa ou povoação que fica em poder do inimigo como penhor de um contrato".
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for refém, with forms such as "erfém", "reffém", and "refmé". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "rever", "reter", "revés", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is refém, spelled R-E-F-É-M.
Definition
- 1pessoa ou povoação que fica em poder do inimigo como penhor de um contrato
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- erfém
- reffém
- refmé
- refémm
- reéfm
- rfeém
- rrefém
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of refém - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "refém"?
What does "refém" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "refém"?
How do you pronounce "refém"?
What language does "refém" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “refém”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is R-E-F-É-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ʀɨ.ˈfɐ̃j̃/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rever” - see the side-by-side comparison. refém vs rever
- Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
Same frequency band
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.