nov vs nox, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“nov” is an adjective and “nox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,490
“nov” frequency rank: #46,886
“nox” frequency rank: 58376
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nov	nox
Definition	noch nicht lange existierend oder vorhanden; neu	die Nacht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nov and nox apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

nov

3 ch

nox

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nov is [ˈnɔv] while nox is [nɔks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - v in “nov” becomes x in “nox”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nov is recorded at frequency rank #11,490, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɔv]. nox is at rank #46,886, tagged as anoun, pronounced [nɔks].

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 58376, this pair ranks #865,143 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nov vs nox

Shared letters: no. Private to "nov": v. Private to "nox": x.

"nov" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nox" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

nov#11,490

nox#46,886

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nov" and "nox" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nov" is an adjective and "nox" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "nov" or "nox"?

"nov" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,490 in our German list, against #46,886 for "nox". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nov vs nox

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “nov”; for a noun, it's “nox”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nov” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable