Which to use
“nah” is an adjective and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,952
- “nah” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 24034
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nah | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Proche en distance. | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the eye mixes nah and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: nah vs non
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nah is \naː\ while non is \nɔ̃\. 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 (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nah is recorded at frequency rank #23,952, classified as anadj, pronounced \naː\. non is at rank #82, tagged as anadv, pronounced \nɔ̃\.
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 24034, this pair ranks #349,035 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nah vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "nah": ah. Private to "non": o.
"nah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nah" for "non" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nah" or "non"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nah" 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 #349,035 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nah" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nah vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #349,035 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.