nacívsnuiWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nací is a verb, nui is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nací” is a verb and “nui” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,465
“nací” frequency rank
#48,561
“nui” frequency rank
56026
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nací nui
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de nacer. Grande

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nací and nui apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
nací
3 ch
nui

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nací is [naˈsi] while nui is [ˈnu.i]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56026, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nací is recorded at frequency rank #7,465, classified as averb, pronounced [naˈsi]. nui is at rank #48,561, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnu.i].

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 56026, this pair ranks #76,345 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nací vs nui

Shared letters: n. Private to "nací": ací. Private to "nui": iu.

"nací" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "nui" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

nací#7,465
nui#48,561

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nací" and "nui" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nací" is a verb and "nui" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nací" or "nui"?
"nací" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,465 in our Spanish list, against #48,561 for "nui". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nací vs nui

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nací”; for a noun, it's “nui”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nací” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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