Which to use
“non” is an adverb and “NPA” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- #26,109
- “NPA” frequency rank
- 26191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | non | NPA |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. | Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste, organisation trotskiste française. |
Where the eye mixes non and NPA
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: non vs NPA
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: non is \nɔ̃\ while NPA is \ɛn.pe.a\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
non is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as anadv, pronounced \nɔ̃\. NPA is at rank #26,109, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛn.pe.a\.
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 26191, this pair ranks #336,586 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of non vs NPA
Shared letters: n. Private to "non": o. Private to "NPA": ap.
"non" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "NPA" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "non" for "NPA" ever safe?
Which is more common, "non" or "NPA"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "non" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "NPA" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #336,586 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "non" and "NPA" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nop vs NPA". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #336,586 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.