Which to use
“nées” is an adjective and “nis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,206
- “nées” frequency rank
- #49,821
- “nis” frequency rank
- 62027
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nées | nis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de né. | Participe actif présent du verbe ní (« se déplacer »). |
Where the eye mixes nées and nis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. nées runs 4 letters (CVVC) against nis's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nées with nis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nées is \ne\ while nis is \nis\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62027, 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\. 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 62027, this pair ranks #89,227 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nées vs nis
Shared letters: ns. Private to "nées": eé. Private to "nis": i.
"nées" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "nis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nées" and "nis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nées" or "nis"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nées" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,227 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nées" and "nis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nis vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #89,227 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.