Which to use
“nés” is an adjective and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,785
- “nés” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 4867
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nés | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de né. | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nés and non apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nés is \ne\ while non is \nɔ̃\. 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 (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4867, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nés is recorded at frequency rank #4,785, classified as anadj, pronounced \ne\. 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 4867, this pair ranks #430,483 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nés vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "nés": sé. Private to "non": o.
"nés" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nés" and "non" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nés" or "non"?
Remembering nés vs non
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “nés”; for an adverb, it's “non”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nés” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable