Which to use
“non” is an adverb and “nova” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- #13,018
- “nova” frequency rank
- 13100
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | non | nova |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. | Étoile qui devient extrêmement brillante pendant quelques jours par une explosion thermonucléaire sur la surface. |
Where the eye mixes non and nova
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses non with nova
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: non is \nɔ̃\ while nova is \nɔ.va\. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13100, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
non is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as anadv, pronounced \nɔ̃\. nova is at rank #13,018, tagged as anoun, pronounced \nɔ.va\.
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 13100, this pair ranks #402,441 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of non vs nova
Shared letters: no. Private to "non": -. Private to "nova": av.
"non" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nova" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- nova ← nnova · noav · novva · nvoa · onva
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "non" for "nova" ever safe?
Frequency check: "non" vs "nova" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "non" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nova" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #402,441 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "non" and "nova" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nop vs nova". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #402,441 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.