Which to use
“nad” is a preposition and “não” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,954
- “nad” frequency rank
- #11
- “não” frequency rank
- 33965
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nad | não |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | em cima, acima de | usado para negar verbos e adjetivos |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nad and não apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nad is /ˈnat/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while não is /ˈnɐ̃w̃/. 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 (preposition vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33965, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nad is recorded at frequency rank #33,954, classified as aprep, pronounced /ˈnat/ ouvir^(fonte ?). não is at rank #11, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈnɐ̃w̃/.
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 33965, this pair ranks #33,422 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nad vs não
Shared letters: n. Private to "nad": ad. Private to "não": oã.
"nad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "não" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nad" and "não" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nad" or "não"?
Remembering nad vs não
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “nad”; for an adverb, it's “não”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable