Non-verbal or nonverbal?
non-verbal is an adjective meaning “In a form other than written or spoken words, such as gestures, facial…”; nonverbal is an adjective meaning “Alternative form of non-verbal”. non-verbal is written with a hyphen and nonverbal as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between non-verbal and nonverbal?
| non-verbal | nonverbal | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective, noun | adjective, noun |
| Meaning | In a form other than written or spoken words, such as gestures, facial expressions or body language Unable to speak A sound, gesture, etc. that is not a word | Alternative form of non-verbal |
| Example | none recorded | none recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˌnɒnˈvɜː.bl̩/ /ˌnɑnˈvɝ.bl̩/ | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 2 million words |
Sources: non-verbal and nonverbal in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of non-verbal and nonverbal
non-verbal
- 1
In a form other than written or spoken words, such as gestures, facial expressions or body language
- 2
A sound, gesture, etc. that is not a word
- 3
Unable to speak
nonverbal
- 1
Alternative form of non-verbal
- 2
Alternative form of non-verbal
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, non-verbal or nonverbal?
non-verbal is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; nonverbal about once in every 2 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).