# nous vs nova

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### nous
*noun · IPA /naʊs/ · frequency rank #29,396*
The mind or intellect, reason, both rational and emotional.

### nova
*noun · IPA /ˈnəʊ.və/ · frequency rank #8,069*
Any sudden brightening of a previously inconspicuous star.

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