# nation vs native

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### nation
*noun · IPA /ˈneɪʃən/ · frequency rank #1,400*
A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.

### native
*adjective · IPA /ˈneɪtɪv/ · frequency rank #2,082*
Belonging to one by birth.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nation-vs-native