nad vs nu, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“nad” is a preposition and “nu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,954
“nad” frequency rank: #5,663
“nu” frequency rank: 39617
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nad	nu
Definition	em cima, acima de	despido, em pelo, sem roupas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nad and nu apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

nad

2 ch

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nad is /ˈnat/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while nu is /ˈnu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39617, 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 ?). nu is at rank #5,663, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈnu/.

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 39617, this pair ranks #26,602 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nad vs nu

Shared letters: n. Private to "nad": ad. Private to "nu": u.

"nad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nu" · 2 letters · shape CV

Frequency comparison

nad#33,954

nu#5,663

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nad" and "nu" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nad" is a preposition and "nu" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "nad" or "nu"?

"nu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,663 in our Portuguese list, against #33,954 for "nad". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nad vs nu

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “nad”; for an adjective, it's “nu”.
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