Which to use
“non” is an adverb and “nus” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #82
- “non” frequency rank
- #7,091
- “nus” frequency rank
- 7173
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | non | nus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Réponse négative. Il marque le désaccord sur une question affirmative et l’accord sur une question négative. | Masculin pluriel de nu. |
Where the eye mixes non and nus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses non with nus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: non is \nɔ̃\ while nus is \ny\. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
non is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as anadv, pronounced \nɔ̃\. nus is at rank #7,091, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ny\.
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 7173, this pair ranks #423,977 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of non vs nus
Shared letters: n. Private to "non": o. Private to "nus": su.
"non" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nus" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "non" and "nus" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "non" vs "nus" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "nus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #423,977 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "non" and "nus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "noués vs nus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #423,977 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.