Which to use
“nord” is a noun and “nous” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #412
- “nord” frequency rank
- #50
- “nous” frequency rank
- 462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nord | nous |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celui des quatre points cardinaux opposé au sud et qui correspond à la direction de l’étoile polaire ; direction du pôle de l'hémisphère boréal et correspondant à l'azimut 360°. | Pronom de la première personne du pluriel, incluant le locuteur ainsi que d’autres personnes au nom de qui il parle, utilisable en sujet, en complément d’objet, ou en tant que pronom tonique pour marquer l’insistance sur la personne. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nord and nous apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
nord and nous form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nord is recorded at frequency rank #412, classified as anoun, pronounced \nɔʁ\. nous is at rank #50, tagged as apron, pronounced \nu\.
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 462, this pair ranks #439,603 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nord" and "nous" be used interchangeably?
Remembering nord vs nous
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “nord”; for a pronoun, it's “nous”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nord” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable