não

/ˈnɐ̃w̃/

//ˈnɐ̃w̃// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“não” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #11) as an adverb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#11
frequency rank, Portuguese
881
“N” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - usado para negar verbos e adjetivos

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

não vs no
67% similar
não vs né
33% similar
não vs nd
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for não
PropertyValue
Headwordnão
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈnɐ̃w̃/
Letters3
Frequency rank#11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “não” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). não lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for não is neighbouring look-alikes ("no", "né", …), not just typos; it is anadverb pronounced /ˈnɐ̃w̃/. Frequency #11 among 881 “N” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for não, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "no", "né", "nd", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is não, spelled N-Ã-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    usado para negar verbos e adjetivos
  2. 2
    em frases interrogativas, serve como realce de afirmação implícita ou dúvida

This word in other languages

no(English)no(Español)non(Français)nein(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "não"?
"não" is spelled N-Ã-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɐ̃w̃/.
What does "não" mean?
As an adverb, "não" means: usado para negar verbos e adjetivos
What words are commonly confused with "não"?
"não" is commonly confused with "no", "né", "nd". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "não"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "não" is /ˈnɐ̃w̃/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "não" come from?
"não" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “não”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is N-Ã-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnɐ̃w̃/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “no” - see the side-by-side comparison. não vs no
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Words at a similar Portuguese frequency

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list