Which to use
“no” is an adverb and “non” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9
- “no” frequency rank
- #9,501
- “non” frequency rank
- 9510
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | no | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Adverbio de negación, respondiendo a una pregunta. | Dícese del número no divisible por dos. |
Where the eye mixes no and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between no and non
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: no is [ˈno] while non is [ˈnõn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “no” sits inside “non”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
no is recorded at frequency rank #9, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈno]. non is at rank #9,501, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnõn].
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 9510, this pair ranks #301,716 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of no vs non
Shared letters: no. Private to "no": -. Private to "non": -.
"no" · 2 letters · shape CV · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "no" for "non" ever safe?
Frequency check: "no" vs "non" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "no" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "non" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #301,716 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "no" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "non vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #301,716 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.