Which to use
“nan” is an intj and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,862
- “nan” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 3944
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nan | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante de non (utilisé en tant que réponse à une question fermée ou un ordre). | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the eye mixes nan and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between nan and non
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nan is \nɑ̃\ while non is \nɔ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “nan” becomes o in “non”, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3944, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nan is recorded at frequency rank #3,862, classified as anintj, pronounced \nɑ̃\. 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 3944, this pair ranks #432,829 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nan vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "nan": a. Private to "non": o.
"nan" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nan" and "non" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "nan" or "non" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "nan" and "non" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "nan" 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 #432,829 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nan" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nan vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #432,829 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.