Which to use
“não” is an adverb and “nun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,506
- “não” frequency rank
- #37,753
- “nun” frequency rank
- 79259
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | não | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | No. | Decimocuarta letra del alfabeto hebreo |
Where the eye mixes não and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. não (CVV) and nun (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses não with nun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: não is [nɐ̃w] while nun is [ˈnũn]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79259, 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]. nun is at rank #37,753, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnũn].
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 79259, this pair ranks #13,261 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of não vs nun
Shared letters: n. Private to "não": oã. Private to "nun": u.
"não" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "não" for "nun" ever safe?
Which is more common, "não" or "nun"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "não" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #13,261 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "não" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "não vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #13,261 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.