nbavsnisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nba is a intj, nis is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nba” is an intj and “nis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,997
“nba” frequency rank
#49,821
“nis” frequency rank
57818
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nba nis
Definition Réponse masculine pour un accueil. Participe actif présent du verbe ní (« se déplacer »).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nba and nis apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
nba
3 ch
nis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nba is \n.bá\ while nis is \nis\. 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 (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nba is recorded at frequency rank #7,997, classified as anintj, pronounced \n.bá\. nis is at rank #49,821, tagged as averb, pronounced \nis\.

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 57818, this pair ranks #112,774 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nba vs nis

Shared letters: n. Private to "nba": ab. Private to "nis": is.

"nba" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "nis" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

nba#7,997
nis#49,821

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nba" and "nis" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nba" is an intj and "nis" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nba" or "nis"?
"nba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,997 in our French list, against #49,821 for "nis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nba vs nis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “nba”; for a verb, it's “nis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nba” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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