noivsnoxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“noi” and “nox” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#43,572
“noi” frequency rank
#36,973
“nox” frequency rank
80545
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature noi nox
Definition Garçon, jeune homme. Nuit.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set noi and nox apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
noi
3 ch
nox

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. noi (\ˈnɔj\) and nox (\noks\) 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 a single letter - i in “noi” becomes x in “nox”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

noi is recorded at frequency rank #43,572, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈnɔj\. nox is at rank #36,973, tagged as anoun, pronounced \noks\.

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 80545, this pair ranks #20,672 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of noi vs nox

Shared letters: no. Private to "noi": i. Private to "nox": x.

"noi" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "nox" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

noi#43,572
nox#36,973

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "noi" and "nox" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ˈnɔj\ versus \noks\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "noi" or "nox"?
"nox" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,973 in our French list, against #43,572 for "noi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering noi vs nox

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “noi” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list