Which to use
“nées” is an adjective and “nez” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,206
- “nées” frequency rank
- #1,827
- “nez” frequency rank
- 14033
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nées | nez |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de né. | Partie saillante du visage entre la bouche et le front couvrant l’organe communiquant avec les poumons permettant de sentir et de respirer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nées and nez apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: nées and nez carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ne\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14033, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nées is recorded at frequency rank #12,206, classified as anadj, pronounced \ne\. nez is at rank #1,827, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ne\.
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 14033, this pair ranks #398,480 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nées vs nez
Shared letters: en. Private to "nées": sé. Private to "nez": z.
"nées" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "nez" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nées" and "nez" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nées" or "nez"?
Remembering nées vs nez
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “nées”; for a noun, it's “nez”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nées” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable