Which to use
“nn” and “now” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,303
- “nn” frequency rank
- #8,278
- “now” frequency rank
- 32581
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nn | now |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ne pas. | Maintenant. |
Where the eye mixes nn and now
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nn with now
A purely visual mix-up. nn (\ˈnon\) and now (\ˈnaʊ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nn is recorded at frequency rank #24,303, classified as anadv, pronounced \ˈnon\. now is at rank #8,278, tagged as anadv, pronounced \ˈnaʊ\.
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 32581, this pair ranks #296,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nn vs now
Shared letters: n. Private to "nn": -. Private to "now": ow.
"nn" · 2 letters · shape CC · "now" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nn" and "now" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "nn" or "now" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "now" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #296,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nn" and "now" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nn vs nop". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #296,329 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.