Which to use
“nb” is an adjective and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,006
- “nb” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 12088
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nb | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante orthographique de NB, sigle de non binaire. | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the eye mixes nb and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between nb and non
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nb is \ɛn.be\ while non is \nɔ̃\. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12088, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nb is recorded at frequency rank #12,006, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɛn.be\. 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 12088, this pair ranks #406,636 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nb vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "nb": b. Private to "non": o.
"nb" · 2 letters · shape CC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nb" for "non" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "nb" or "non" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nb" 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 #406,636 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nb" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nb vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #406,636 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.