nulovsnunWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nulo is a adjective, nun is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nulo” is an adjective and “nun” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,460
“nulo” frequency rank
#37,753
“nun” frequency rank
49213
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nulo nun
Definition Sin fuerza jurídica, sin valor para obligar a hacer algo, carente de efecto, por no cumplir con las leyes o por poseer un vicio en las formalidades requeridas. Decimocuarta letra del alfabeto hebreo

Where the eye mixes nulo and nun

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
nulo
3 ch
nun

Why the eye confuses nulo with nun

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nulo is [ˈnulo] while nun is [ˈnũn]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nulo is recorded at frequency rank #11,460, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnulo]. 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 49213, this pair ranks #110,098 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nulo vs nun

Shared letters: nu. Private to "nulo": lo. Private to "nun": -.

"nulo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nulonluo · nnulo · nullo · nuol · unlo

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nulo" and "nun" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nulo" is an adjective and "nun" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "nulo" vs "nun" - which ranks higher?
"nulo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,460 in our Spanish list, against #37,753 for "nun". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "nulo" 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 #110,098 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nulo" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nox vs nun". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #110,098 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list