namvsnnWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nam is a pronoun, nn is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nam” is a pronoun and “nn” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,396
“nam” frequency rank
#37,935
“nn” frequency rank
56331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nam nn
Definition caso dativo do pronome pessoal my não

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
nam
2 ch
nn

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nam is apronoun and nnanadverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56331, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nam is recorded at frequency rank #18,396, classified as apron. nn is at rank #37,935, 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 56331, this pair ranks #10,043 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nam vs nn

Shared letters: n. Private to "nam": am. Private to "nn": -.

"nam" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "nn" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequency comparison

nam#18,396
nn#37,935

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nam" and "nn" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nam" is a pronoun and "nn" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nam" or "nn"?
"nam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,396 in our Portuguese list, against #37,935 for "nn". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nam vs nn

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “nam”; for an adverb, it's “nn”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list