not

/nɒt/

//nɒt// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"not" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“not” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #23 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#23
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Negates the meaning of the modified verb.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

not vs NZ
0% similar
not vs NT
0% similar
not vs NP
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for not
PropertyValue
Headwordnot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/nɒt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#23
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “not” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). not lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for not is 3 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɒt/. Corpus data places it at rank #23 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for not in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NZ", "NT", "NP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English not, nat, variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), short for nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”), corresponding t… The correct English form is not, spelled N-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
  2. 2
    To no degree.
  3. 3
    Used to indicate the opposite or near opposite, often in a form of understatement.
  4. 4
    Used before a determiner phrase, a pronominal phrase etc. to convey a negative attitude (e.g. denial, sadness, anger) towards something.
  5. 5
    Used before a non-finite clause (especially a gerund-participial clause) or less commonly a determiner phrase to ironically convey some attitude (e.g. surprise, incredulity, amusement, embarrassment) towards something.

Etymology

From Middle English not, nat, variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), short for nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”), corresponding to ā (“ever, always”) + wiht (“thing, creature”). Cognate with Scots nat, naucht (“not”), Saterland Frisian nit (“not”), West Frisian net (“not”), Dutch niet (“not”), German nicht (“not”). Compare nought, naught and aught. More at no, wight, whit.

This word in other languages

no(Español)pas(Français)nicht(Deutsch)não(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "not"?
"not" is spelled N-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /nɒt/.
What does "not" mean?
As an adverb, "not" means: Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
What words are commonly confused with "not"?
"not" is commonly confused with "NZ", "NT", "NP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "not"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "not" is /nɒt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "not"?
From Middle English not, nat, variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), short for nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”), corre... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “not”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is N-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /nɒt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “NZ” - see the side-by-side comparison. not vs NZ
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list