Which to use
“nah” is an adjective and “nay” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,820
- “nah” frequency rank
- #30,276
- “nay” frequency rank
- 57096
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nah | nay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | perto | não |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nah and nay apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nah is anadjective and nayanadverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - h in “nah” becomes y in “nay”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nah is recorded at frequency rank #26,820, classified as anadj, pronounced /naː/ ouvir^(fonte ?). nay is at rank #30,276, tagged as anadv.
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 57096, this pair ranks #9,543 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nah vs nay
Shared letters: an. Private to "nah": h. Private to "nay": y.
"nah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nay" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nah" and "nay" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nah" or "nay"?
Remembering nah vs nay
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “nah”; for an adverb, it's “nay”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nah” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable