Which to use
“não” is an adverb and “noi” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,506
- “não” frequency rank
- #45,471
- “noi” frequency rank
- 86977
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | não | noi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | No. | Nosotros |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set não and noi apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: não is [nɐ̃w] while noi is /ˈnoj/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86977, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
não is recorded at frequency rank #41,506, classified as anadv, pronounced [nɐ̃w]. noi is at rank #45,471, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈnoj/.
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 86977, this pair ranks #4,854 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of não vs noi
Shared letters: no. Private to "não": ã. Private to "noi": i.
"não" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "noi" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "não" and "noi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "não" or "noi"?
Remembering não vs noi
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “não”; for a pronoun, it's “noi”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “não” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable