Which to use
“nec” and “non” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,146
- “nec” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 27228
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nec | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Et ne pas, ni, non plus, mais… ne pas. | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the eye mixes nec and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: nec vs non
A purely visual mix-up. nec (\ˈnek\) and non (\nɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27228, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nec is recorded at frequency rank #27,146, classified as anadv, pronounced \ˈnek\. 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 27228, this pair ranks #330,300 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nec vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "nec": ce. Private to "non": o.
"nec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nec" for "non" ever safe?
Frequency check: "nec" vs "non" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nec" 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 #330,300 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nec" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nec vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #330,300 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.