non

\nɔ̃\

/\nɔ̃\/ adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“non” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #82 in French word frequency and used as an adverb.

#82
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

non vs nu
33% similar
non vs ny
33% similar
non vs NS
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for non
PropertyValue
Headwordnon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\nɔ̃\
Letters3
Frequency rank#82
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “non” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). non lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for non is 3 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \nɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #82 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for non in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "nu", "ny", "NS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is non, spelled N-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative.
  2. 2
    Au contraire.
  3. 3
    Qui n’est pas. Manque de la qualité signifiée par l’adjectif suivant.
  4. 4
    Adverbe de phrase employé plutôt que ne ou ne … pas, ceux-ci étant plus propres à nier seulement le verbe ou le groupe verbal.
  5. 5
    Au début d’une phrase négative, il en accentue le caractère.
  6. 6
    Sert, soit seul, soit avec pas, à opposer une négation à une affirmation.
  7. 7
    Il sert encore à infirmer, à nier fortement ce qui est exprimé par un des termes de la proposition.
  8. 8
    N’est-ce pas ?

Synonyms

nannietnégatifnopepas questionpashan han

Antonyms

ouaisouiaffirmatif

This word in other languages

no(English)no(Español)nein(Deutsch)não(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "non"?
"non" is spelled N-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \nɔ̃\.
What does "non" mean?
As an adverb, "non" means: Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative.
What words are commonly confused with "non"?
"non" is commonly confused with "nu", "ny", "NS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "non"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "non" is \nɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "non" come from?
"non" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “non”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is N-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \nɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “nu” - see the side-by-side comparison. non vs nu
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

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