Which to use
“ni” is a conjunction and “nis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #274
- “ni” frequency rank
- #49,821
- “nis” frequency rank
- 50095
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ni | nis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Conjonction de coordination négative qui correspond à et affirmatif. | Participe actif présent du verbe ní (« se déplacer »). |
Where the eye mixes ni and nis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ni runs 2 letters (CV) against nis's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ni vs nis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ni is \ni\ while nis is \nis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ni” sits inside “nis”, and the parts of speech differ too (conjunction vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50095, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ni is recorded at frequency rank #274, classified as aconj, pronounced \ni\. 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 50095, this pair ranks #165,354 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ni vs nis
Shared letters: in. Private to "ni": -. Private to "nis": s.
"ni" · 2 letters · shape CV · "nis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ni" and "nis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ni" or "nis"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ni" 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 #165,354 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ni" and "nis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nis vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #165,354 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.