Which to use
“non” is an adverb and “noyé” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- #15,949
- “noyé” frequency rank
- 16031
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | non | noyé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. | Personne qui se noie ou qui a péri par noyade. |
Where the eye mixes non and noyé
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. non runs 3 letters (CVC) against noyé's 4 (CVVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses non with noyé
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: non is \nɔ̃\ while noyé is \nwa.je\. 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 16031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
non is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as anadv, pronounced \nɔ̃\. noyé is at rank #15,949, tagged as anoun, pronounced \nwa.je\.
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 16031, this pair ranks #389,711 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of non vs noyé
Shared letters: no. Private to "non": -. Private to "noyé": yé.
"non" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "noyé" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "non" and "noyé" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "non" or "noyé"?
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 "noyé" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #389,711 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "non" and "noyé" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "noués vs noyé". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #389,711 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.