Which to use
“nous” is a pronoun and “nun” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,704
- “nous” frequency rank
- #130
- “nun” frequency rank
- 37834
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nous | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wir | zu diesem Zeitpunkt, zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt, in dem Moment |
Where the eye mixes nous and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between nous and nun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nous is [nu] while nun is [nuːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37834, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nous is recorded at frequency rank #37,704, classified as apron, pronounced [nu]. nun is at rank #130, tagged as anadv, pronounced [nuːn].
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 37834, this pair ranks #1,579,880 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nous vs nun
Shared letters: nu. Private to "nous": os. Private to "nun": -.
"nous" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nous ← nnous · nosu · nouss · nuos · onus
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nous" and "nun" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "nous" or "nun"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nous" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,579,880 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nous" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nous vs nox". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,579,880 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.