Which to use
“neu” is an adjective and “nn” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,394
- “neu” frequency rank
- #24,303
- “nn” frequency rank
- 64697
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neu | nn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nouveau. | Ne pas. |
Where the eye mixes neu and nn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. neu runs 3 letters (CVV) against nn's 2 (CC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between neu and nn
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neu is \nɔɪ̯\ while nn is \ˈnon\. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neu is recorded at frequency rank #40,394, classified as anadj, pronounced \nɔɪ̯\. nn is at rank #24,303, tagged as anadv, pronounced \ˈnon\.
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 64697, this pair ranks #75,796 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of neu vs nn
Shared letters: n. Private to "neu": eu. Private to "nn": -.
"neu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nn" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "neu" and "nn" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "neu" or "nn" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "neu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,796 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "neu" and "nn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "neu vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,796 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.