Which to use
“NFC” is a noun and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,058
- “NFC” frequency rank
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- 25140
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | NFC | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Communication en champ proche. | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. |
Where the eye mixes NFC and non
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. NFC (CCC) and non (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between NFC and non
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: NFC is \ɛn.ɛf.se\ 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 (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
NFC is recorded at frequency rank #25,058, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛn.ɛf.se\. 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 25140, this pair ranks #342,575 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of NFC vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "NFC": cf. Private to "non": o.
"NFC" · 3 letters · shape CCC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "NFC" for "non" ever safe?
Which is more common, "NFC" or "non"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "NFC" 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 #342,575 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "NFC" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "NFC vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #342,575 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.