Which to use
“now” and “nun” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,570
- “now” frequency rank
- #130
- “nun” frequency rank
- 6700
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | now | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in diesem Moment; jetzt; gerade | zu diesem Zeitpunkt, zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt, in dem Moment |
Where the eye mixes now and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: now vs nun
A purely visual mix-up. now ([naʊ]) and nun ([nuːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
now is recorded at frequency rank #6,570, classified as anadv, pronounced [naʊ]. 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 6700, this pair ranks #1,990,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of now vs nun
Shared letters: n. Private to "now": ow. Private to "nun": u.
"now" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "now" and "nun" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "now" 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 "now" 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 #1,990,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "now" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "now vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,990,729 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.